The End of Duel Academy
by YamiRuss
Summary: The Ghost Duelist and his Horsemen are ready to enact his plan to destroy Duel Academy. Without Matthew Luther returning to Duel Academy, can Bryan Knight do anything to stop the End of Days?  *Part IV of "The Duelist's Spirit"*
1. One Will Not Return

**Part IV: The End of Duel Academy**

Chapter 1: One Will Not Return

'_Alright!'_ Lonnie thought as he drew his card. His elbow twitched as he tried to hide his excitement. _'With my third Chain Thrasher, I can destroy his Goblins and still attack him directly. That should be enough to end this duel and get me into the best dueling school in the world!'_ Such a prospect was enough to excite any young duelist. Lonnie almost had to squeeze himself to avoid giving away his play.

"What's the problem, Poker Face?" asked the duel proctor, a tall, bulky guy with blond hair that was obviously not its natural color.

Lonnie 3000: Proctor 4500.

"Oh, no problem here," Lonnie replied, unable to hold back the arrogance he felt bubbling under the surface. "Your goblin deck gets some pretty lucky plays, but it's still sub-par. I can't believe you got to be a proctor for this exam with a deck like that."

The proctor shrugged. "If I'm really as bad at dueling as you think, then you should prove it by beating me."

"Of course I will." He noticed the proctor's blue Academy jacket and added, "I guess beating you will propel me into the Obelisk dorm."

"They don't actually call it that anymore. The dorms are just named for their colors."

Lonnie tilted his head. "What? Why?"

"It's a university now. Maybe nobody donated enough money to get their names on the buildings."

Dismissing the trivial point of dorm names with a light chuckle, Lonnie said, "Yeah, whatever. I'll just get back to beating a senseless Obelisk student." He chortled as he slapped his card onto the electronic plate of the duel station.

Lonnie and his proctor used opposite seats at a computerized table with electronic plates designed to read electronic codes embedded in duel cards. Electronic duels allowed permanent records and enabled three-dimensional holograms of cards and their effects, effectively turning a ten-minute card game into twenty minutes or more of an explosive light show. The holograms added a sense of realism to duels and excitement for those involved. A miniaturized, portable version of the holographic technology is available in the form of a Duel Disk, but many freshmen did not own one until they were willing to commit themselves to dueling—usually when accepted to Duel Academy.

Responding to the specific card Lonnie played, the holographic field showed a blond-haired man wielding a manriki—a throwing chain with a pointed weight on the end. He wore leather clothes, but his right arm and leg were wrapped entirely in gauze wrap. Chain Thrasher (3/1000/1000) started swinging the heavy end in anticipation of an attack.

In addition to the power that each monster brings to the game, players can also use effects that come from Spell cards. Usually with some cost, Spell cards allow the players to change the rules temporarily in some way; common effects include increasing attack or defense points, summoning extra monsters, or drawing more cards. Trap cards are similar to Spells, offering temporary rules changes, but they can be activated on the opponent's turn to offer a surprise effect.

"Here are the big guns," Lonnie taunted. When he placed another card on the electronic table, Chain Thrasher's chain disappeared and was replaced by a golden pike. "Remember how you destroyed two of my Chain Thrashers already? Phalanx Pike increases his attack by 900 for each Chain Thrasher in the Graveyard. That means my current Chain Thrasher (+2800) gains 1800 points, _and_ his own effect gives him an extra attack for each Chain Thrasher in my Graveyard." He looked at the proctor's field and observed the squad of four goblins kneeling in a defensive position. "That means I can get by your Goblin Attack Force (4/+2700/0) and still hit you directly twice for the win."

In the game of Duel Monsters, players use monsters to attack their opponents and to defend themselves. If two monsters in attack mode battle one another, the weaker one is destroyed and the difference between their powers is deducted from the player. But if a monster in defense mode is destroyed by a stronger monster, the attack is absorbed and the player is unaffected.

When Chain Thrasher lunged with the pike, Lonnie commented, "I guess I'm going to Duel Academy. I wonder if they'll offer me a scholarship."

"Probably not," the proctor replied. "I hate to spoil your ego trip, but I have Tailor of the Fickle facedown." A creepy-looking man wearing overalls with pockets full of threads, pins, and needles began measuring Chain Thrasher (+3200) for the Big Bang Shot that was equipped to Goblin Attack Force a moment earlier.

Lonnie laughed heartily. "Are you kidding me? You just played a card that not only gives my monster an attack boost, but it also lets him deal piercing damage. He won't even need a third attack!" Piercing damage was the term used when an attack was so powerful it pierced a defensive monster and struck the player anyway, thereby causing damage equal to the difference between attack points and defense points. Chain Thrasher spun the Phalanx Pike and destroyed all four goblins with its stellar energy.

The proctor just shook his head with disappointment. "Unfortunately, you don't know enough about the subtleties of Duel Monsters. Big Bang Shot specifically deals damage to its owner's opponent; that is, regardless of which monster it is equipped to, _I_ own the card, and so you will take the Battle Damage. The devil is in the details, you know?" The energy from the golden pike backfired and swarmed Lonnie instead.

Lonnie 3000 – 3200 = 0: Proctor 4500.

Dumbstruck, Lonnie just stood there completely unable to comprehend his loss. In his arrogance, he forgot that most cards can be used in multiple ways. A duelist with real talent knows how to find those alternative strategies and make them happen.

The proctor offered a handshake. "For the record, this is just a test deck. I run Elemental Heroes." He watched Lonnie walk away and tried fruitlessly to hide the grin that pulled at the corners of his mouth.

"The year hasn't even started yet, and I already feel like I own the place."

If one thing could be said about Bryan Knight, it was that he hardly lacked in self-confidence. Sure, he had his moments of weakness just like any man rejecting his oncoming adulthood in order to prolong adolescence beyond all previous limits, but he was a big, bold man whose charm won over those around him no matter where he went. And as a bonus for the women, he reached a height of six-foot-four with a body well built around two hundred pounds.

Bryan's feeling of owning the campus came from being offered VIP treatment at Kaiba Land in order to administer the practical portion of the Duel Academy entrance exam. Even just standing there as people gathered in the stands to watch the young applicants duel hopefully, Bryan felt like he was really the center of attention. All eyes were on him—the man who successfully completed three high-level tournaments during the past ten weeks, and, though he failed to win a fourth, finished within the top eight at an international level. He was listed as the Arbus Foundation's "Shooting Star Duelist," and now he was set to start the new school year as the number one-ranked student at the world's most prestigious dueling school.

Lucy smacked Bryan lightly in the stomach with the back of her hand—just hard enough to make him flinch and catch his attention.

"They aren't here for you. They have kids and siblings and friends applying today."

Not backing down, Bryan replied, "And it's just coincidence that they get to watch me proctor the exams?"

"Yes," she answered with an amused grin. "You don't even get to use your real deck. Not for an application duel. Nobody wants to watch you run a Goblin deck. Sorry to break it to you, honey."

If Lucy had one quality Bryan needed in a girlfriend, it was her ability to deflate his ego without wounding it. She supported him in all his endeavors and wanted the world for him, but even though she wanted him to have everything, she also hoped to dampen the fall for those instances life didn't go the way he wanted it to.

If she had one physical quality that caught everyone's attention and made Bryan the envy of so many male applicants, it was her sheer beauty. She was slightly bigger than average—"curvy" was an apt choice of words—but she was simply beautiful to behold. Her face was thin and symmetrical, her hair was long, dark, and smooth, and she had a perfectly shaped smile that turned her lips into a triangle with pearly whites shining in the light. Add that to her other natural assets and hardly a man in the building didn't spend at least a minute staring at her under the guise of observing her duel strategy.

Bryan noticed a few guys staring at her and accused her of trying to steal his thunder.

"What would you have me do differently than just stand here wearing a practical muumuu?" She referred to her blue Academy jacket that was two sizes too big for her shoulders, which she wore in an ironic attempt _not_ to draw attention to her appearance.

"It doesn't matter. When it comes down to it, even guys want to watch the sheer competitive edge that I bring to a duel." But even as he said that, he took another look at Lucy—at her enchanting brown eyes—and realized, "I don't care who watches me, anyway. What's important is I'm starting this year on top and no cocky freshman will knock me down this time."

"What about an equally cocky junior?"

Taking a deep breath, Bryan knew who she was talking about. Neither of them had heard from his sworn brother during the entire summer. Maybe he ran off with one of his girlfriends. The Duel Academy administrators didn't know what happened, either; Bryan finished the previous year ranked Number 2, but when his brother didn't substantiate the scholarship money for the new semester's tuition, administrators dropped his name from the enrollment headcount and moved everyone else up one rank. Bryan wasn't thrilled to earn his rank that way, but he figured it was karma for Matt to fall after spending his entire dueling career cheating. Knowing Matt's level of integrity…

"I doubt he's coming back."

"Why?" Lucy wondered aloud. "I didn't hear from Matt all summer. You don't know where he is, and you spent the whole time pretending not to care. You still won't tell me what happened between you that shook your bond. As close as you guys are, I used to have nightmares in which you left me for Matt."

"I had that one, too," Bryan replied. "It was weird." Oddly enough, however, his expression couldn't hide that tiny smile that pulled at the corners of his cheeks. Lucy noticed it and scoffed with feigned disgust.

A female voice shouted, "Are you guys on a break? Or are you just lazy?"

"Short and scrappy" described Cary Strickland quite accurately. And if there was one thing everyone had to give credit to her for, she spoke her mind. With a sarcastic and somewhat caustic personality, Cary often took the default position that other people were idiots and should be trusted as such. Unfortunately and much to her chagrin, doing so made it difficult for others to know when she was being sincere.

"On a break," Bryan answered pointedly. For support, he motioned toward the large itinerary posted on the wall. On every hour, proctors were given a ten minute break. The idea was that light snacks and orange juice, combined with ten minutes of veg time, would keep the proctors fresh. It was like donating blood, except the purpose was to make sure the late-day applicants didn't have easier duels than the morning applicants.

"Feeling a little snippy today?" Lucy asked Cary. There were two basic reactions to Cary's style. Those who were accustomed to her wit found her amusing; those who were not found her mean.

"Not really. I'm just a little annoyed about assistantships for this year."

"You didn't get the editor job?" Bryan asked. He thought that was a shame. The headlines in the school paper were so much funnier since she started writing; that would get even better if she got to pick them all.

"No. The fact that I am now in charge of Team OTK puts me in a position of bias. Apparently my record doesn't speak for itself regarding my journalistic objectivity. They offered me some other position, but I deserve editor."

"What'd they offer?" Lucy asked.

Cary scoffed and waved her hand as if to dismiss an offer in front of her. "Because of some new donors Kaiba Corp. picked up this summer, they're offering tuition remission to Team leaders as long as they comply with certain criteria throughout the semester."

Bryan's eyes popped open. "Seriously? You mean you and Numbers are going to get paid just for organizing a ragtag group of duelists into a team?" As a journalist, she clarified that tuition remission is not the same as being paid; it just meant one less pile of money she had to pay to Duel Academy as a student. "I need to start my own team."

"Get over yourself," Cary told him. She patted the maroon deck box on her belt. "It's time for the next round to start." She glanced over to her duel station where a tall and lanky young man sat on the edge of the applicant's seat as he waited for his duel to begin. "And it looks like I get a real cutie for this one."

Lucy was able to pick up on the real source of Cary's annoyance; it was the same as Bryan's. "Cary doesn't like gaining credibility just because Matt's not a student anymore."

At the end of the previous semester, Matt was still the leader of Team One-Turn-Kill. Without him, the administration picked the ranking member to take the role, but Cary still felt like a paper champion because she never defeated Matt for the position. Likewise, Bryan felt like a paper champion because he was given the rank of Number 1 by default. He would have felt much more deserving had he defeated Matt in a duel.

But he consoled himself by remembering that Matt cheated all these years. He always had help when he dueled. It wasn't just Matt who beat Bryan so often; it was _two_ people. That nullified all of Matt's victories in Bryan's eyes. If they ever dueled just one-on-one, then Bryan would win without a doubt and with one Trap card tied behind his back.

"Do you think he'll come back?" Lucy wondered.

"Who knows?" Bryan said with a shrug. With a bout of cheer in his voice, he squeezed Lucy's hand. "But the world does not start and stop at his convenience. So let's go decide who's going to join Duel Academy for a new year. I'll bet we can make this one the best ever!"

* * *

_As the numeral at the top of the page suggests, this is the fourth arc of my own Yu-Gi-Oh!-based story. If this happens to be the first one you stumbled upon and I got lucky enough to catch your attention, let me start with "Welcome and thanks for reading." Now know that I try to write the early stages of a new arc in such a way as to reintroduce all the existing characters. It should be easy enough to follow without reading the other arcs._

_I am willing to accept reader-submitted characters through private message. I must state firmly and unequivocally at this point, however, that I cannot always promise the character will turn out the way you expect. The reason for that is simple: This is my story. You may come up with a fascinating character who would make for an amazing protagonist, but that is not what my story needs. Bryan and Cary need supporting players to move them along-not deeply involving players who take the focus away. It is rare to find such contributions, but characters given with villainous tendencies are easier to use early and often. "Misunderstood" or "brooding" characters will have to wait until the story opens a spot for them._  
_That should be the only time my high horse gets during this arc._

_And as everyone is wont to do on this site, I will follow suit and provide the following disclaimer:_  
_I own no part of Yu-Gi-Oh!, including the cards, the game, and references to the original stars. If I did, then this story would resemble the anime much more closely. The vast majority of characters within my text, however, are the brainchildren of me and my contributing readers, credited as appropriate throughout the story._

_It is a difficult task to post a story online one chapter at a time because it forces me to write using a strategy I don't usually use. I can't promise a regimented schedule for this arc, but I can promise that more time will be spent in planning to make sure I know all the answers before I start writing the questions. But I do encourage and entertain your questions at any time. I would love to hear from everyone who reads this._

_Cheers!_


	2. In Preparation of an Eventful Semester

Chapter 2: In Preparation of an Eventful Semester

In recent decades, Duel Academy expanded both its campus and its curriculum to fit a four-year university. A meeting of the Board of Directors toyed with the idea of changing the school's name to Duel University—something more appropriate while equally unimaginative—but the chairman's obstinance and insistence that tradition should be upheld resulted in Duel Academy remaining the name of the world's premier dueling program.

The dormitories in the school _did_ change, however, to match the colors of each respective building instead of the traditional names shared with the Egyptian God Monsters. (That break with tradition was more acceptable to the chairman.) Historical events regarding the god cards prompted the change, but the change was still so recent that most people not directly affiliated with the academy still used the old names. Students adapted most quickly, partly through the sale of such poetic, interdorm bumper stickers as "Blue Sucks," "Red Sucks," and "Nobody Cares about Yellow." Rivalries and social classes take a long time to change.

Each dormitory houses students according to ability, which was ultimately the source of the color-based rivalries. The Red Dorm was home to all first-year students regardless of age or skill. (There was one exception—The student attended a private school accredited by Kaiba Corp. In other words, the student spent lots of money on Kaiba Corp. even before attending the academy.) The Blue Mansion was home to the cream of the crop—the best student duelists the school could produce. The Yellow Dorm was home to everyone stuck in the middle; they were the students whose exam scores weren't good enough to promote, but also weren't bad enough to expel. Because of the distinctions, the Yellow Dorm was the biggest one, towering an extra four floors higher than the Red Dorm.

The campus bookstore was the centralized location of chaos during the two days before classes started. Every class required at least one textbook, and, due to the average number of students who dropped a class each semester combined with the frequent publishing of new editions of the same books to accommodate new research and strategies, the bookstore tended to maintain a reduced supply of the books.

But this year, that wasn't the biggest concern.

"What is this mess?" Bryan whined as he looked over his schedule. "Why am I in these classes?"

"Really?" Cary asked him. "Six weeks of enrolling in classes at the end of last semester and you just now figured out it wasn't a game?"

"Who needed six weeks? I finished enrolling in five minutes. And I remember specifically picking different professors. Enrolling in any of Dr. Locklear's courses was at the very top of my 'to don't' list, yet here I am with _two_ classes of hers."

Dr. Linda Locklear was notoriously one of the most challenging professors at the academy. She seemed to thrive on trick questions, doubletalk, and "all of the above"-style answers. Bryan suspected it stemmed from some fundamental self-esteem problem; she was not even five feet tall and had off-blonde hair, like the sheen of a white wall covered by the glow of a light bulb. Whatever happened in her youth that turned her into such an inflexible test-hater, she was sure taking it out on the students.

"I understand she is a real Nutcracker," Darius Mantzios offered. He was a duelist of Greek descent, with olive skin and black hair, who established himself as an ever-improving duelist over the past years. His humor was limited by his understanding of the English language, and that occasionally prompted corrective responses to his words.

"Ball buster," Bryan said, offering the accurate term to describe Dr. Locklear's particular and demanding ways.

"You were close," Maikeru consoled Darius. But Darius wasn't really the kind who needed consoling. Though quiet, he was a confident young man who was one of the most self-aware people on the entire island. He knew idioms were a weakness for him, but he made up for it by generally speaking less often and much more wisely. He was also known for his patience and sympathetic capacity in times of crisis.

And this year, Darius finally got to wear the blue jacket. At the end of the previous school year, Darius's exam scores and his response to one of Dr. Lankford's brain busting riddles propelled him into the Blue Mansion. His good friend Maikeru Stone was jealous that he still didn't measure up according to the highest standards, but the Blue Mansion was truly selective and rarely accepted even two dozen students each semester, and the fact that he colored his hair navy blue did not curry favor with the tight-fisted Dr. Lankford.

"If it makes you feel any better," Maikeru told Bryan, "I also have Dr. Locklear for G-Hist 150." In laymen's terms, that course was a general education requirement called Strategic History, and it covered the formation and analysis of strategies in all fields throughout history with heavy emphasis on wartime strategies. (The analogy of a card duel to war may have been slightly tasteless, but the knowledge gained in the class was known to improve the strategic play of the students who completed it successfully.)

"It does not," Bryan replied. "Dr. Locklear is an even worst test-giver than Dr. Apple was," keeping in mind that Dr. Apple exercised the unfair act of asking questions from the book that weren't directly covered in class. He peered at the catalog placards in front of each specific textbook, paying special notice to the course IDs and comparing names of the professors. "Is anybody else teaching this class?"

"I don't think so," Maikeru replied. "Believe me, I hoped so, too, but Dr. Locklear is teaching both sections. Dr. Houtz isn't teaching it anymore."

Bryan moaned that not only was Dr. Houtz more fun as a teacher, she was more fun as eye candy. Even though Dr. Locklear had the strict librarian thing going for her, the ball busting was a turn-off. Dr. Houtz, on the other hand, had the whole fun, hot, Goth thing going for her. She often took the boots-and-skirt combo of which Bryan was a big fan, plus she had three tattoos everyone knew about and two more rumored to be in places only her closest friends would get to see. "Why did the schedule of professors change, anyway?"

Darius pointed out Dr. Apple "changed his tires" at the end of the previous semester, and nobody questioned that he meant to say "retired." "When he left, professors were shifted to cover his courses. A new professor was hired, as well."

Bryan glanced at his new schedule again and noticed he had a course with a professor whose name he didn't recognize. "Who is Sebastian Arbus? Isn't he the Canadian guy from Skid Row?"

"That's Sebastian Bach," Cary corrected him. "Sebastian _Arbus_ is a former Ambassador of the United States to Iran back before the office was abolished by the Iran Hostage Crisis. He established the Arbus Foundation to provide grants to college students who couldn't otherwise afford it. That's the scholarship that pays Matt's tuition."

Sean Bivins, the former basketball player whose boyish features clashed with his silver hair, looked confused by Cary's knowledge. "Isn't Skid Row in the ghetto? How does a poor guy afford to send people to college?"

"No." Maikeru bumped Sean on the shoulder to get his attention. "Skid Row was a heavy metal band from the late '80s."

That didn't relieve the look of confusion on Sean's face. "So Matt's tuition was paid by a heavy metal band?"

Cary wasn't content moving on; she wanted to make sure Sean knew what was going on around him. "Sebastian Bach was a front man for the band Skid Row. He is not a professor here, he does not send kids to college, and he is not a duelist." She stopped and corrected herself: "Maybe he sends his own kids to college. I don't know. But he doesn't have a scholarship named after him. Sebastian Arbus is the new professor. He is the founder of the Arbus Foundation, which _does_ send kids to college. You follow?"

"I think so," Sean replied. "The new professor is loaded."

"Maybe in more ways than one," Bryan uttered. He suddenly remembered the last time he really paid attention to the name, which was at a fancy hotel bar and casino. "I knew the name looked familiar. I think I met him once before."

"Considering how much time you and Matt spent together in high school, you probably did."

"No. The name makes me think back to that Limitations tournament Matt and I did freshman year over the winter. The one at the Denkard Hotel and Casino? I think this Arbus guy was there. I seem to recall he helped me win a few thousand—uh…" He stopped suddenly and realized he should pick his words carefully. Drawing on his willful command of the English language, he finished with, "…cards. By, uh, not gambling." He smacked himself for his temporary lack of wit.

"Was that a Freudian slap?" Darius asked.

"No Freudian _slip_," Cary argued with a wicked smile. "Bryan just got flustered. I can't wait to see how you do on Dr. Locklear's tests."

A voice not formerly involved with the conversation asked, "Is Dr. Locklear a difficult professor?"

The group looked down the aisle to see a lanky student wearing a red jacket. He apologized for interrupting them as Bryan figured out why the kid looked familiar (aside from the jacket). He was the duel applicant who faced Cary after their first break during the day of practical exams. Allen Tebaro wasn't particularly the type to stand out in a crowd, except that he was pretty tall, which Cary really liked. He wore the standard Academy freshman garb, and he looked somewhat nervous as he looked into the aisle.

"Who are you, Stilts?" Maikeru asked snidely. Sometimes, it was just natural to view freshmen as people who were after one's rank. In such a competitive school, that was almost always the case. And annoyance was first cousins with snide nicknames and trash talk.

Allen made a cutting motion with both hands, an apologetic gesture for accidentally offending the yellow-clad duelist. "I'm sorry. I just heard you talking about Dr. Locklear, and I have her for one of my classes so I just wanted to know how tough she is."

"She's not really that bad if you pay attention in class and study on your own," Cary admitted. "And you should use a tape recorder. Or learn to write shorthand. She does have a tendency to say things only one time and then expect you to remember it."

Allen didn't look terribly excited about that. But he did look to Bryan and put on a slight smile. "Hey, you're Bryan Knight, aren't you?"

"I prefer Sir Bryan, the King of Nerds. Er, Games. King of _Games_, I meant."

Cary groaned and Allen chuckled, but he responded with, "You're friends with Matthew Luther."

Bryan's reaction should have been one of clear honesty, but he found himself feeling somewhat disappointed to think about Matt, and it wasn't just because he was recognized like a sidekick. "Yeah…"

"Is he coming back? I haven't seen him around campus yet. Last year, I heard he was part of the freshman orientation."

"He was," Bryan admitted. "But he's going through some personal stuff. I don't think he's coming back." Pushing back a feeling of nostalgia, he added, "The world of dueling is going to have to settle for just one King of Games."

* * *

"I never knew your hair was this curly," Lindsay said as she tousled the furry growth atop Matt's ever-rising head. Over the summer, he grew another two inches, but more noticeable was that he stopped cutting his dark hair. And as Lindsay pointed out, Matt's hair had a tendency to pull away from his shoulders. "Is it because Luther always made you shave your head?"

He ran his own fingers through his hair. Four inches was the longest his hair had ever been. "No. I've just been too lazy to get it cut." With nothing more than a fleeting image of his abusive foster father giving him a forceful buzz cut once every two months and then threatening the girls to clean up, Matt told her, "He's not part of our lives anymore. He won't hurt you anymore."

"I was actually more worried about him hurting you, Big Bro," she replied and lightly rubbed his shoulder. "I haven't seen you since the trial. You look like you've got the weight of the world on your shoulders. Are you sure you're okay?"

"I'm fine."

"So fine, in fact, that you decided not to go back to Duel Academy—the place you couldn't shut up about when you first left home because it was so amazing and you loved the campus and all the beautiful women… including one particular beauty with auburn hair."

Matt didn't respond. He couldn't respond. What was there to say? Kasumi all but stopped talking to him ever since he found out about Dr. Apple's cloning experiment. But even when he didn't say anything, his phone started buzzing.

"See? She obviously still cares or she wouldn't text you all the time." It was sweet that Lindsay was so deluded, but she was going to smarten up if she was going to do well in college. At least she chose an in-state school. If she hadn't, and she hadn't gotten an academic half-scholarship, Matt wouldn't be able to pay her way with his savings. But he loved Lindsay more than he could even express; paying her tuition was just Matt's way of getting started. It's just too bad she hadn't taken any psych courses yet or she might realize how inaccurate her assessment of Matt and Kasumi's relationship was.

"Texting is all she does," Matt pointed out with a hint of resentment in his voice. "She wants to know where I am at all times of the day and needs picture messages to prove it, but she refuses to answer the phone if I call her, and she won't call me back. I feel like I'm nothing more than an investment she checks up on every now and then without any intention of cashing in or appreciating real value."

"What about that other girl you mentioned?"

"Who, Rory?"

Lindsay grinned. "Okay. Her, too. Didn't you have some kind of fling with her at summer camp?"

"Something like that. I just needed some time away from Duel Academy and away from Bryan and away from all the people who have already formed opinions about me."

"But this girl who is so bold as to announce to you that she wants to break up you and Kasumi doesn't already have an opinion about you?"

Matt huffed loudly. "Like she needs to do anything to break me up from someone who won't even speak to me."

"Don't ignore the question," Lindsay scolded him. "Be honest with yourself, huh? You are afraid of going back to Duel Academy because you hate letting people down and you feel like this whole situation is your fault. That's the same reason you let Luther beat you senseless as a kid and you almost decided not to go to college. I told you to stop beating yourself up; Luther did enough of that for you. And it is definitely not your fault if your estranged father did some weird religious experiment to you as a kid."

Matt didn't reply. Even though he told Lindsay what he found out about Dr. Apple, he didn't like talking about it. There was a spirit sealed inside his body, strengthening his body while it bides its time. On occasion, Matt suffered incredible exhaustion—proof that the spirit was feeding off of him while it gave him strength. But his refusal to confront the symbiotic relationship was the reason he couldn't understand or control it.

"I know. Touchy subject," Lindsay commented. "But you know? You're never going to get anywhere crashing in my dorm room day after day."

"I'm not going back to Duel Academy."

She huffed. "I think that's the only place that has any answers for you. You spent fifteen years doing in-depth research into the identity of your birth father, and you didn't find a damn thing until he approached _you_ at that school. He knew you were there the whole time, but he waited to reveal himself to you. Why? I have no idea, but the only place you'll find that answer is at Duel Academy."

Matt knew she was right, but he was just too scared of what could happen to him this time.

"Besides that, how are you going to keep paying my tuition if you don't win some more tournaments and hoard the prize money?"

"Duh. I'll steal it?"

Lindsay sat up straight and looked her foster brother straight in the eye. "Let's make a deal, then." She looked at the pile of Duel Monsters cards on the desk at the end of the bed. "If I win, you have to go back to Duel Academy. If you win? You can make up your own damn mind. Deal?"

"I'm not letting you make that decision for me."

"Then your only option is to win." She grabbed her deck and started shuffling, not even bothering to find a Duel Disk or any form of holographic projection. This duel was going to be old school: right there on the surface of the desk. She handed her deck to Matt to cut, and then she reached into his bag and started shuffling his deck.

"This is so stupid," Matt commented. "I can't believe I'm letting you decide my future based on a card game. Why not just flip a coin for all the logic in this?"

She gave him that sisterly look and warned him, "Don't try to back out now, you slacker." She handed his deck back to him and retrieved hers. Drawing first, she claimed the turn started with her. "Here's something good. I'll start with Dark Magic Curtain; for half my Life Points, I can summon the Dark Magician (7/2500/2100)." She flashed in front of him the shiny card with the purple wizard known worldwide among even the newest duelists.

"Are you playing that deck on purpose?"

"Yes," she answered with a smile. "These are the only cards I own. You gave me this deck, and you taught me everything I know. You know what that means?" He shook his head, oblivious to her point. "You don't have a ghost of a chance at beating me."

He couldn't help smiling. Lindsay was so funny when she got like that. It was just too bad someone with her spirit and intelligence had no desire to attend Duel Academy.

"Alright then. Let's duel!"

* * *

Despite the allure of the beautifully designed Duel Academy campus and the pleasantness of taking in the sun while hanging out on the quad, no place on the island was better than the woods for meeting away from prying eyes and open ears.

"Is this everyone?" Only three people sat inside the dark room—far short from the seven who were expected.

Kasumi Okuyama only responded to this gathering because she hoped the host would provide her with even more power than he did last time. She was quite disappointed to find only the chubby nerd with the receding hairline and the skinny idiot she used to date. She hated that one of the requirements for her newfound power was sharing it with these losers. She was way out of their league, especially now that she was pushing to the top of the academy ranks.

The door opened not a moment later, but only briefly enough for the slender form of Nathan Zislaw to slip inside, unnoticed if he had his way. He did not. Kasumi sneered at him, "You're late, Sloth."

Nathan just sighed. "Don't bug me, Envy. This whole meeting is such a bother. Why do you need me, anyway?"

"I'd be happy to take back the power the Ghost gave you," spoke Thomas Estrada, Kasumi's ex-boyfriend. He has a decent-looking guy, but the only way he really stood out in a crowd was the fact that his facial hair was long enough to be considered a safety hazard around heavy machinery.

"Both of you shut up," Kasumi requested harshly. "Where's Wrath?"

Thomas smirked. "He got beat by Goldilocks, Hayley Wilson. Somehow she broke his spirit completely. His wrath faded in him and he became weak again."

"We'll need to deal with him appropriately," Kasumi realized, thinking about whether Wrath's power was something she'd want to add to her collection.

"I already have." Kasumi recognized that dirty look on Thomas's face. He obviously confronted Romulus Malligan sometime after the previous semester ended; he must have absorbed the power the Ghost gave Romulus, the greedy bastard.

"What happened to his power? Did you consume it all?" asked Carter Jade, the big guy. Exercise and effort were obviously not his strengths. Kasumi would have had trouble differentiating him from Nathan except that Carter was usually eating something and Nathan was usually sleeping.

Thomas snarled, "Get your mind off food. I didn't _eat_ anything. But I'm not sharing his portion of Ghost's power, either. That's all mine."

"Nobody wants it," Kasumi said. To herself, she thought, _'Except me.'_ Rather than try to take the power, she was suited just to hanging back and coveting it while enjoying what she already had. Speaking of which, "Where is the Ghost?"

"Be patient," Nathan told her. "You're so annoying."

Just as Kasumi was ready to put Nathan to sleep for good, Thomas caught her off guard and made her forget about petty annoyances in lieu of her ultimate covetous goal:

"Where's your boyfriend?"

Kasumi desired Matt for his skill, his status, and the simple fact that dating him gave her something other women wanted. "He's visiting his sister. He's not coming back, and that means his rank is open for me to take." She finally obtained the blue jacket, after all that time watching Matt ignore the jacket like it was out of style, and she secured herself a room in the Blue Mansion. All that remained was to make her way to the top. "And none of you sods will keep me from it."

Carter smiled. "Oh, Lust is going to love you. You have so much in common."

Kasumi didn't realize there was a Lust in their organization. She never met anyone other than the Ghost Duelist and these three cohorts. As long as Lust didn't try to horn in on Kasumi's glory, they wouldn't have a problem.

"Is there a seventh?"

"The Ghost hasn't found a suitable host just yet," Thomas answered.

"Host?"

Before she could get a response, a deafening roar filled the woods, ripping through the otherwise serene setting like a chainsaw. It would draw attention straight to them if anyone were out and about at this hour of the night.

"It sounds like Lust is here," Nathan commented, not even moving from his supine position in the corner of the room. "And may I point out that she's even later than me."

"Nobody cares."

The door opened just a moment later and in walked a woman just taller than Kasumi, who immediately began doing a mental comparison. The woman's hair, poking out from under her motorcycle helmet, was clearly red, but her hair was dyed so whereas Kasumi's hair was a natural auburn. And though Kasumi won on bust size, her academy jacket and skirt couldn't compete with that full, leather bodysuit for pure sex appeal. And it might depend on the guy, but the tattoos definitely drew attention to the right places for someone named Lust.

When she took off her helmet and shook out her hair, she shot the group a seductive look. "Well, boy and girls, I think it's time we get this party started. Duel Academy won't know what hit it."

* * *

_I know the story hasn't really started yet, but I'm laying the social groundwork first. I'm fairly pleased with this chapter, though it could probably use some polishing._

_The next chapter will feature the duel teams and their first social gatherings of the semester. You will get to (re)meet Bryan's Lockdown teammates and Cary's OTK teammates. I promise to include a full duel in that one._

_I know I haven't brought back all of these characters yet, but I continue to appreciate the support I have from my readers, and you can count on their return at some point. (I will add new characters to the list as they make their appearances.) These are the characters submitted to me so far:_

_Credits:_  
_Darius Mantzios...tiramisu19_  
_Jason Maxim...Maxim and Knight_  
_Nathan Zislaw...Mavrik Zero_  
_Hillary Delaney...Nodqfan144_  
_Lili Von...Happy2BMe_  
_Carter Jade...Jaden2010  
Mitsuro Itachu...Titanic X  
Sean Bivins...DarkVestroia2_  
_Naoto Kurotsuki...Kurotsuki Haru_  
_Hayley Wilson...TeamRocketDiva_  
_Maikeru Stone...onyxshade7  
Victor Rocks & Abel Shinzou...Iron-Arm-V_  
_Alister Kazama & Jessica Parks...ZaneKazama001_  
_Synthia Spencer...Madly Chessur_  
_Leila & Linear Lockhart...Windraider_  
_Romulus Malligan...Maximus1  
Logan Wilson...MercWithTheMouth13_  
_Allen Tebaro...Nouva17_  
_Everyone else so far...YamiRuss_


	3. Teamwork on the Duel Field

Chapter 3: Teamwork on the Duel Field

Camping was a reasonably popular activity among students and Kazuki townsfolk who felt the need to get outside and exert a little bit of physical effort before settling down and spending the night out in the open air of nature. Trees waved with each breeze; the sap could be smelled six inches away, which was generally how far from the tree one's nose was before he or she realized there was sap sticking to his or her arms. With a heavy canopy keeping heat beneath the trees and bugs big enough to abduct children, it was little wonder people didn't camp more often.

To build camaraderie between duelists whose common deck themes brought them together, Numbers Harper led Team Lockdown into the mountains of the island for a weekend camping trip. Numbers didn't look like the hiking type—she was short and fair-skinned—but she was always liked doing something active with her teammates, and she was as tough as any slow-talking woman could be.

"Thank god," she couldn't help uttering when they reached the campsite.

"Come on, now," Clinton Ealey commented. "It wasn't that bad. Hiking is invigorating." Clint was just a little taller than Numbers, but being a guy, he was naturally better off in terms of leg strength. He wouldn't last as long in direct sunlight, though; his skin was about as dark as a Kleenex.

"That's easy for you to say," Bryan argued. "You're only carrying supplies for one." Whereas much of the group carried nothing more than one bag of supplies and a sleeping bag, Bryan had enough supplies for three people to go camping—specifically himself, Lucy, and Ivy.

Ivy Roaks reminded him, "I'm happy carrying my own stuff." She was a short, thin redhead whose hair was longest at the bangs; her red hair worked well fashionably with her Academy jacket—a white one with blue trim. She wore thin, rectangle-framed glasses, but everyone always noticed the small, green tattoo of a star next to her blue-gray eyes. Small as she was, she wasn't above work; because Bryan was carrying her stuff, she carried sleeping bags for two of her other teammates.

"He won't do that," Lucy pointed out. "He's showing off his brute strength." Hiking was tough enough without trying to match your weight in gear. But with the body of a former football player and the mettle of a Japanese sword smith, Bryan had seemingly no difficulty moving around with all that extra weight.

"Is it working?" he asked Lucy.

She winked at him. "Maybe a little." She may have given his ass a squeeze, too, prompting a slight stumble in his next step; luckily he recovered quickly.

* * *

As Matt felt the sea breeze blowing through his longer hair, he almost couldn't believe what transpired. Not only was he returning to the somewhat secluded Academy Island, but he was doing so on the deck of a US Navy ship. A destroyer-class, no less. And he was pretty sure it was a top-secret mission he stumbled onto. Fortunately, the mission happened to take the ship by Duel Academy, and the captain agreed to take him along.

"If you're captain of your own ship," Matt commented to his former resident advisor, "then what in the hell are you doing back at Duel Academy?"

Mitsuro Itachu didn't fit the image of a ship's captain. For one thing, she was much too young. Her rank was given to her as a result of training camp scores, duel experience, and familial ties—namely, her father was a Captain. But right now, having temporarily relinquished her status and enrolled in Duel Academy for another semester, she was dressed more the part of a student. She wore a men's Academy uniform—blue—because she had a thing against skirts and clothes that fit too tightly; she even cut her black hair pretty short and held it in place with a bandana, forest green like the color of her eyes.

She smiled at Matt and pointed out, "Actually, I'm a Lieutenant Commander."

Doing a mental comparison to Matt's only military experience—M*A*S*H—he asked her, "That's like being a major, right? So does that make you Frank Burns or Hot Lips Houlihan?"

With a sour expression, she pleaded, "Isn't there someone else to compare me to? Can't I be Sidney Freeman or someone less whiny?" Realizing that comment in itself could be construed as whining, she immediately told Matt without direct provocation, "Shut up or I'll have you thrown overboard."

"In a barrel? With a snorkel sticking out the top? Like Bugs Bunny?"

Mitsuro laughed and playfully smacked his shoulder. "How can you be so goofy all the time?"

"It took years of practice," he confessed. But deep inside, he just hoped she wouldn't realize the truth: It was the only thing keeping his messed up life from sending him into a depressive spiral.

"I bet you weren't expecting to return to school on a top secret ship," Mitsuro commented.

"And I'm sure the Navy appreciates your divulging that information to me freely," Matt replied. "But this sure is better than trying to get there in a rowboat."

"You want a smooth ride? Nothing beats a Harrier," spoke another man, slightly shorter than Mitsuro and only a few years older. He also wore men's Academy outfit, but his jacket was red, the color worn by all first-year students. His dark hair really made Matt think his hazel eyes were fake—maybe colored contacts or something. Maybe they were special lenses that helped him when flying the jet he mentioned.

"A Jump Jet?" Matt confirmed. "Sounds comfy."

"I'm impressed a civilian like you is familiar with the term. Were you a jet junkie as a kid?"

"No. I spent most of my childhood trying to avoid being any kind of junkie. I just spend a lot of time on Wikipedia. So why is an established jet fighter like you going to a school like Duel Academy? Talk about a drastic career change."

Tai Ishihara laughed a hearty laugh, almost like he hadn't heard that one before. "I'm pretty much in the same boat as Mitsuro. I'd like to advance my career, and the easiest way to do that is by earning a college degree. Plus, I enjoy dueling, Duel Academy had a top-rated general education curriculum, and there's plenty of weird stuff happening in the background to keep things interesting."

Matt almost flinched at that comment, wondering if maybe it was no coincidence that this "top-secret" ship was carrying two people to the most focused location of next-level activity in the world. _Never ignore a coincidence,_ he told himself.

"Mitsuro tells me you're hot stuff on the duel field," Tai told Matt. "How'd you end up in a yellow jacket?"

Matt couldn't help laughing at that. "I reenrolled after the semester started, and so they threw me to the bottom of the rankings. I'm only one step above the freshmen prefects."

"Tough break," Tai suggested.

An especially large man chose that moment to step up behind the trio and block out the sun entirely. He looked like a wall, except that very few walls seek out people to tower over. Mitsuro's father was a commanding presence, even without the full Naval garb. He had a solid, T-shaped face with the kind of beard that holds strongly enough to deter bullets and teeth big enough to chew through wood.

"Arr! We be close ta the island. Prepare to walk the plank, scurvy dog!"

Matt replied with nothing but a flabbergasted stare and the hope that if he didn't move and didn't breathe, just maybe the walking cliché wouldn't notice him. Worst case scenario, maybe that peg leg the captain had would give Matt the edge in a footrace.

* * *

"Stop right there," Cary demanded. She gave Matt such an incredulous look he thought it might freeze that way. "Is any part of that story even remotely true?"

Matt grinned. "Someone would have to read it back to me."

That was actually an impressive story for Matt to come up with on the spot considering he wasn't exactly looking at Cary's eyes while he spoke. As a sort of teambuilding activity, Cary decided to take the other members and rushes for Team OTK (aside: one-turn-kill, denoting a strategy to defeat an opponent in one turn) to the island hot springs. Cary's body may be modest by most standards, but her legs were clearly the most toned and athletic of the group, save Matt's own legs. And she wasn't immodest, but Cary was not particularly shy; she wore a gold bikini that showed her legs almost begging for attention.

Matt was technically crashing the party. With the late reenrollment, he was not immediately offered a spot on Team OTK. For one thing, the fact that Matt's deck was in a near-permanent state of flux last year was well know; he would have to prove an OTK strategy before being granted membership again.

"I suppose you're here for my position," Cary suggested bluntly.

With a shake of the head, Matt said, "No. You'll be a better team leader than I was. Just look at how well you replenished the ranks."

At the end of the previous semester, only three members of Team OTK did not graduate, including Matt and Cary. Here at the hot springs, she had two more full members and three rushes for a total of eight members. (Keep in mind the difficulty with establishing a one-turn strategy, the ability and grade requirements attached to joining teams, and that Duel Academy's enrollment figures tend not to pass two hundred students.)

He nodded toward one notably tall guy wearing black swim trunks. "I see you got yourself some eye candy. You always did have a thing for tall guys."

"That's Allen Tebaro," she told him. "He's one of our freshman rushes. He uses an Empty Jar deck." She could tell by the blank look on his face that Matt was clueless with deck themes unless they were named for specific cards. "It's a milling strategy intended to make the opponent run out of cards."

"Really? Does it work?"

"Well enough to get him invited to rush." She motioned into the hot springs where the steam almost prevented Matt from recognizing anyone else. This particular face, however, had a tendency to shine through even the heaviest fog. "I decided your cyberdark friend was worth recruiting, too. Maybe you'd like to go say 'hi' instead of staring at my ass all day."

"What a unique device, the human tush," Matt quoted in a broad, full voice. "An architectural wonder, one of a kind… Actually, two of a kind. Designed to support our weight for a lifetime of sitting, it also has the subtlety to do the samba. And when attached to certain members of the female species at a time when light summer dresses are worn can cause some of us to drive our cars straight up a lamppost."

When he put a stupid grin on his face, Cary groaned, "That's two _M*A*S*H_ references in ten minutes. Did you _meet_ Alan Alda this summer or something?"

"No. I just watch a lot of Hallmark channel in the evening," he answered with a laugh. "So does that mean you'll let me stay and rush Team OTK?"

Cary pretended to have to think about it for a moment. "Fine. But I'm on the fence about you, and the only thing leaning me in your favor is that you look modestly good without a shirt on. Emphasis on _modestly_. Now put on a swimsuit and come meet the rest of the team."

Just to push her buttons a little, he suggested, "We're in the hot springs. Do I really need a swimsuit?"

And pushing right back, she said, "Yes. Nobody will ever want to see that."

* * *

Gathered around the fire, people still tend to branch off into smaller groups. Lucy and Ivy sat off under the trunk of a large tree; Clint, Dahlak, and Evie sat on one side of the fire comparing duel cards; and Bryan, Leroy, and Numbers discussed the exhilaration/boredom of being out in nature.

"Do you think there's owls in these woods?" Leroy asked.

Bryan dryly replied, "Who cares?"

"They're predators," Leroy pointed out.

"If you're a mouse."

Leroy leaned forward creepily. With the position of a storyteller but all the sincerity of a stroke, he said, "Once they taste human flesh, they can't be stopped."

"They don't eat human flesh," Bryan replied sternly. With a sudden look of concern in his eyes, he turned to Numbers and asked, "Do they?" She assured him she'd never seen a vampire-owl hybrid of any kind.

Clint began waving his cap in front of his face. "Why does the smoke from the campfire always blow into my eyes?"

Dahlak noticed that everyone split into separate groups and disapproved. In an effort to bring them all together again, he suggested, "Why don't we sing a round?" Taking a deep breath, he started, "Where has Oregon gone, boys? Where has Oregon?"

Bryan looked to Numbers. "Can I kill him?"

She responded simply with, "His racket keeps the owls away."

* * *

Matt enjoyed the feel of the hot water on his skin. It helped relax his muscles and relieve some of the tension he built up sleeping on that ship. The bed was not particularly comfortable, even if it got the job done.

"Was Mitsuro's father really a pirate?" asked Sean Bivins, Matt's candidate for the Least Likely OTK Duelist. It's not that Matt didn't like Sean; he just didn't think the guy had in him the skill to pull off an OTK.

"Depends on your definition of 'pirate,'" he replied.

He stretched his arms and brought one down around the shoulders of Aurora Ruiter, who preferred to be called Rory. She was wearing a black, one-piece swimsuit that matched her natural hair color; she dyed in blue streaks, however, in honor of her rise to the Blue Mansion. She was slender but somewhat toned, especially since she started exercising more frequently. When Matt decided to spend the summer with her, Rory decided to adopt some of his exercise habits in an effort to spend as much time with him as she could before he changed his mind.

"So Cary let you join the organization, huh?"

Playing along with his jocular nature, Rory replied, "The test was easy. I just had to remove a bunch of bells from a mannequin without making a sound." She pointed over to Sean and said, "Sean, though, is the real superstar here. Cary figured out that Sean has almost been using an OTK strategy this whole time without anyone realizing it."

"Is that so?" Matt asked. Rory's endorsement was strong reason to think there was more to Sean's dueling deck than he let on, but the real clincher for Matt was Cary's endorsement. Knowing her, she wouldn't let just anybody onto the team. She'd only take people with _proven_ OTK ability.

"It's nothing all that special," Sean argued modestly. "It's not like marrying a figure skater."

"Hard to argue with that," Matt agreed without missing a beat. He chuckled to himself, and then he said, "I'd really like to see what you've got, Sean. If you don't mind, of course."

"I don't mind," he said and started to reach into the pockets of his swim shorts.

Rory groaned. "Tell me you didn't bring your cards into the hot springs with you."

Sean laughed back at her. "I was looking for the key to my locker so I can go _get_ my deck. Give me some credit, will ya?" And when he stepped out of the hot springs, Matt saw that Sean was still wearing his shoes.

"Very little," he mumbled. He looked at Rory, said, "I have a duel against a guy with wet feet," kissed her briefly on the nose, and then pulled himself out of the water to retrieve his deck.

* * *

Bryan's sleeping bag was big enough for two people, provided those people really liked each other. Being summer, though, he was almost forced to take his shirt off to avoid overheating. Lucy made no such concession.

"Are you okay?" she asked. "You look really uncomfortable."

"I've got a rock in my lats." He rolled forward just enough for Lucy to reach under his back and push aside a rather jagged rock. "The padding in this sleeping bag is only 'that' thick." He held his fingers approximately an inch apart. He decreased the distance so his fingers almost touched. "'_That_' thick if you lie on it."

As she laid her head back on his chest and heard his quick, somewhat erratic heartbeat, she asked, "Are you sure that was all? There's not something else bothering you. Some_one_ else?"

"I don't mind that Matt came back after all. It just feels weird having not spoken yet."

"He just got back this morning," she pointed out, "and you're not roommates anymore. You'll see him around, though."

"Yeah. It's just… weird." He kissed her forehead, sighed, and said, "It could be worse, though."

"Really?"

He looked up where Clint, Dahlak, and Evie still sat around the fire. Evie was roasting marshmallows, Clint was trying to fan the smoke from the fire away from his eyes, and Dahlak had his hands in front of his face while whistling. "That was the Western Warbler. Did you hear the difference from the Central Warbler?"

Lucy smiled. "Can't we just kill him?"

"He keeps vampire owls away. The Warbler is their natural predator."

* * *

Despite the allure of the beautifully designed Duel Academy campus and the pleasantness of taking in the sun while hanging out on the quad, no place on the island was better than the woods for meeting away from prying eyes and open ears.

"Is this everyone?" Five people were already way more than the two Victor Rocks wanted to see. Specifically, he wished the other guys would scram and leave him alone with Hayley to figure out some more synonyms for 'snogging.'

"Why are we here?" asked Abel Shinzo. He was tall, muscular, and black, more like a basketball player than a duelist, but looks were often quite deceiving. While still just short of the dueling level seen by Blue duelists, Shinzo's insects were a force to be reckoned with.

Knowing that Hayley was slightly more traditional than he'd like, especially now that she got a better grip on her less inhibited persona, Vic acknowledged that the relationship had to be slower or else he'd end up scaring Hayley away set aside. With that happy thought, he moved on to his other big ambition.

"We're going to make a dueling team to rival Lockdown and OTK."

At times, it was difficult to know when to take Vic seriously. Hayley Wilson, the aforementioned reluctant associate of Vic's, experienced a few extended phone calls with him over the summer, and there were many times during the previous school year they spent time together, but she still saw every word he said and behavior he made as a guessing game. For one, she couldn't figure out if he was attracted to her as an interesting person or just because her gorgeous curls and smooth skin put her in close running with Lucy for prettiest face on campus.

"Are you serious, or is this one of your fleeting visions of fame?" she asked him.

Vic grinned widely. "I'm totally serious. We're going to build a team of duelists and do fundraising and all that crap."

"But why?" Abel wondered. "Giving to charity doesn't sound like your thing."

Vic's eyes widened. "They give their money to charity? You're kidding!" He ignored that sudden disbelief. "Doesn't matter."

Abel laughed loudly now. "'Doesn't matter?' That money you earn wouldn't go into your pocket? Now I'm _sure_ there's an ulterior motive. Damned if I know what, though."

"This will look good on our curriculum vitas," Vic insisted with an expression of feigned insult. "And if working together on common themes makes those other losers such better duelists, maybe it will do the same thing for us."

"We don't have common deck themes," Ty pointed out. A rather scrawny guy, Ty was more one of Vic's followers than his friends. He admired Vic for reasons beyond the scope of the prefrontal cortex. He was often in agreement with Clyde, Vic's heavier, heftier follower, whose voice was thicker when he suggested Elementals and Insects and The Fabled don't match a common theme.

Vic knew they were right, but there had to be something… "So we'll make our team about power decks. Or maybe beatdown or swarms. There's got to be something."

"Why so eager for a team?" Hayley asked him.

"Never mind. Let's just come up with something."

Suddenly a sixth person, wearing a blue jacket with the sleeves torn off, dropped himself upside-down into the middle of the group, his knees still clinging tightly to the low-lying tree limb overhead. "I've got something."

Hayley jumped back and clutched her chest with the futile hope of slowing her heart rate. "Damn it, Logan. You scared the hell out of me!"

"How long have you been there?" Abel further asked. He didn't hear a single noise in the trees until just that moment.

"About two hours. I've been taking a nap since I finished training." _What_ training was not hard to figure now that everyone knew to look for something. Logan Wilson—no relation to Hayley—had two swords strapped to his back and several slash marks were visible on the trees nearby, once a flashlight was shone in their direction. Among all the quirks students carried with them, Logan's insistence upon practicing swordplay was one of them. He was forbidden to have swords on campus, but he had his hiding spots nearby.

He hopped down from the tree and swooned. "Whoa. I can't feel my torso."

Vic gritted his teeth. "Get out of here, Logan. We're busy."

"And clueless," Logan quipped. "I have an idea for a dueling team. But before I tell you, my condition is that I get to be the leader."

"No way!" Vic instantly argued. "_I_ want the tuition money!"

Abel and Hayley both glanced crossways at Vic. "Then money really is why you want to make a team? You know we have to have a constitution and everything drawn up, and there are other rigorous requirements for maintaining an Academy-endorsed team."

Quickly deflated, Vic asked, "Really?"

"Yes," Hayley insisted. "It's a lot of hard work. I don't spend a lot of time with Matt or Numbers, but I know they ran pretty rampant last year to keep their teams together and running according to their established rules. I can't imagine how much harder it would have been for them to _start_ those teams."

Fortunately, Vic didn't have to think on it tonight. A light shone directly in his eyes for just a moment—long enough to blind him temporarily—before darting to the other faces. It came from a mag light carried by someone wearing the blue uniform of the campus police. Not very tall but with a slender build and a clean cut look, the officer stepped into the small clearing with authority. In appearance alone, and with his rather smooth voice, he was not intimidating, but he did have a certain presence that commanded respect.

"Is that you, Officer Potter?"

"It's always a pleasure to see you, Mr. Wilson," Patrolman Michael Potter spoke sarcastically to Logan. "You are all aware that you are out past curfew?"

Abel pointed out, "Isn't this the night Team Lockdown is going camping? Doesn't that keep them out past curfew?"

"Their trip was approved by the administration."

Vic grumbled, "The _fascist_ administration. You're a sucker for following their rules."

"Yep" was Potter's witty reply. "And you pay them tuition, which they use to pay me to enforce their rules. Now get going to your dorms. I'm generous enough to give you a ten-minute head start before I start citing you." With that, he turned and walked back the way he came, toward the main path where his cruiser was parked.

"Bummer," Logan mumbled. "I guess Big Brother is already among us. I'm just lucky he didn't see my weapons or he woulda tore me a new one." With a smirk, he corrected himself: "Or he woulda _tried_."

"Drop it," Abel told him. "We'll postpone this for a while. Tomorrow we'll convince Vic his idea is over his own head."

And so each student went their separate ways. Logan needed to hide his swords again, Vic and Hayley wanted to walk back to the dorm alone, and Abel was stuck with Beavis and Butthead. It didn't take long for Ty and Clyde to start arguing about which one would get to be Vic's right-hand guy when they created their team. Abel told them it was unlikely to happen, but they interpreted that as his trying to horn in on the right-hand spot. He wished they would take a different route back to the Yellow Dorm.

Before stepping out of the woods, he heard the hissing noise that comes when someone discreetly calling for attention. An auburn-haired woman wearing a blue jacket was just visible in the shadows. Ty and Clyde, generally oblivious to their surroundings, continued walking.

"Abel Shinzo," she spoke softly.

"Kasumi Okuyama," he replied in the same tone. "What are you doing out here?"

"Inviting you to save the world."

Abel got a good laugh out of that. "Oh, really? How's that? You want me to kill Logan or something?"

"Amusing, but no. A duel will suffice. That's all it will take to put you on the right path." She bore on her arm an active Duel Disk awaiting a deck. "What do you say?"

"I usually don't turn down duels against pretty ladies," Abel told her, "but the cops are out tonight and enforcing the curfew. We'd better get back to our respective dorms pretty quickly."

Kasumi smirked and shook her head. "The cops won't find us here. I guarantee it. So how about that duel?" There was something edgy in her voice… something that gave Abel the willies.

Being a guy, however, he misattributed the tingling in his spine to how hot Kasumi's body was. "Alright. Let's duel then." He shuffled her deck while she shuffled his. Still a little worried about Officer Potter, he added, "But just a quick one."

"My thoughts exactly."

A quick game of Rock-Paper-Scissors determined Abel as the winner and gave him the first turn. He laid a card on his Academy Duel Disk and watched the holographic projectors create a large, blue cricket. Its chirping rang loudly through the speakers on the projectors.

"I'll start this off with Howling Insect (3/1200/1300). That's good enough for now."

The air around Kasumi became much heavier when she touched her deck. "I'll summon Dark Grepher (4/1700/1600)." Born to be a powerful warrior, Grepher was a tall and muscular man wielding a heavy broadsword. While Kasumi discarded a card in real time, the image of Dark Grepher turned and slashed in the direction of her deck; she looked through her deck and discarded another card. "Now he'll attack." Grepher gripped his sword tightly with one hand and cut straight through the blue cricket.

"Nice move," Abel suggested, "but when Howling Insect is destroyed in battle, I get to summon another insect with 1500 or fewer attack points. I'll take Warm Worm (3/600/1400)." The hologram turned into a small, purple caterpillar with flaming hair.

Kasumi didn't bother to set any other cards.

Abel 8000 – 500 = 7500: Kasumi 8000.

"Alright then," Abel said, not pressing the fact that Kasumi left her field largely unprotected. "I'll summon Cross-Sword Beetle (4/1800/1200)," a large beetle with enormous mandibles, "and remove Howling Insect from play to summon Aztekipede, the Worm Warrior (4/1900/400)," an armored, green centipede with mandibles like tow hooks. "And I'll start by having Warm Worm (600) attack Dark Grepher (1700)." He smirked and asked, "Are you curious about that move?"

"You want me to discard three cards from my deck." Sure enough, when Warm Worm was cut, it expelled three silk strands toward Kasumi's deck and sent the top three cards to the Graveyard.

"Now I'll destroy Dark Grepher with Cross-Sword Beetle (1800)." The giant mandibles closed around Grepher and shredded him. "Finally, Aztekipede (1900) can attack directly." The powerful centipede plowed into Kasumi's field, dragging one more card from her deck away on its mandibles. "When he deals damage, you have to send another card from your deck to the Graveyard. Now I'll set two cards and end my turn."

Kasumi just smirked.

Abel 7500 – 1100 = 6400: Kasumi 8000 – 100 – 1900 = 6000.

Immediately, a pile of snow dropped from the sky and slammed on both fields. "I play Cold Wave." With the snow covering the Spell and Trap Zones of both sides of the field, Abel couldn't use the Traps he just set.

"I'll summon The Dark Creator (8/2300/3000)." The descending creature looked like a fallen angel of sorts—blackened armor for skin and a wide wingspan that emitted magical energy. A ball of dark energy appeared in The Dark Creator's hand and burst, removing a monster from Kasumi's Graveyard and summoning Red-Eyes Darkness Metal Dragon (10/2800/2400), a tall dragon covered with a metal exoskeleton. Its red eyes emanated sheer power. When it roared, the power spilled from its exoskeleton into the Graveyard and brought forth a bulkier, eagle-like dragon—Dark Horus (8/3000/1800).

"Finally, I'll summon Infernal Dragon (4/2000/0)." Although smaller than the other monsters, this black dragon's spiky scales, tri-pointed tail, and powerful jaws were still intimidating, especially when Abel did the math.

"Geez. So many Special Summons. I thought _my_ deck was good for swarming."

As Dark Horus (3000) blasted a beam of black fire at Aztekipede (1900) and Red-Eyes (2800) spat a ball of fire at Cross-Sword Beast (1800), another man stepped out of the woods behind Kasumi. He was average in height and weight, and his hair—black as night—contrasted with his skin, white enough to see through. His voice was light and soothing.

"Feel the changes, Abel Shinzo," he spoke. "Accept the shadows as they flow into you. Indulge in the power as it fills your heart and feeds your body."

Abel could feel a certain warmth filling his body—the tingling of adrenaline like one feels after running a marathon. But it was a little overwhelming. He felt an incredible urge to sleep.

"That's right," the ghost-like man said as The Dark Creator (2300) and Infernal Dragon (2000) launched their direct attacks against Abel's side of the field.

Abel 6400 - 1100 - 1000 - 2300 - 2000 = 0: Kasumi 6000.

"Sleep now. Let the power incubate until you are ready. Soon enough, all of my Horsemen will rise and bring about the End of Days."

_

* * *

_

_This chapter is a bit sit-com-like, but still pertinent to the story. I just had to get a bunch of jokes I wanted to make out of the way early before the stuff starts hitting the fan at Duel Academy._

_The next chapter will probably take a while to write because it will be more duel-based, culminating in a duel between Bryan and Matt._

_For any Mitsuro fans out there, I recommend checking out Titanic X's profile and reading her story _Beginnings of a Challenge_. It tells the story of Mitsuro's summer vacation in the Navy._

(I just realized that I never listed Mental Panda in my credits for providing us with Ivy Roaks. I extend my apologies to her and wonder how I never noticed before.)

_Credits:_  
_Darius Mantzios...tiramisu19_  
_Jason Maxim...Maxim and Knight_  
_Nathan Zislaw...Mavrik Zero_  
_Hillary Delaney...Nodqfan144_  
_Lili Von...Happy2BMe_  
_Carter Jade...Jaden2010  
Mitsuro Itachu...Titanic X  
Sean Bivins...DarkVestroia2_  
_Ivy Roaks...Mental Panda_  
_Naoto Kurotsuki...Kurotsuki Haru_  
_Hayley Wilson...TeamRocketDiva_  
_Maikeru Stone...onyxshade7  
Victor Rocks & Abel Shinzou...Iron-Arm-V_  
_Alister Kazama & Jessica Parks...ZaneKazama001_  
_Synthia Spencer...Madly Chessur_  
_Leila & Linear Lockhart...Windraider__  
Logan Wilson...MercWithTheMouth13_  
_Allen Tebaro...Nouva17_  
_Everyone else so far...YamiRuss_


	4. Lockdown vs OTK

Chapter 4: Lockdown vs. OTK

"Team Lockdown is a self-sufficient organization," Numbers Harper explained to her teammates. Numbers was noticeable for her size; she didn't even reach five feet in height and weighed less than a hundred pounds. Because of her size, she wore a small size uniform, hemmed to meet the length she needed. She dyed her hair red, meaning it looked rather burgundy—almost violet—in the light.

"That means constant fundraising. But even though we do things like volunteering for charities and big events in town, the bulk of our money comes from a major program we try to do each semester. Last fall, for example, Team OTK held a city-wide tag team tournament. Last semester, we had a barbecue with sponsorships from a few businesses in town. So we will start this meeting with ideas for this semester's big event."

"Jell-O wrestling," Bryan suggested loudly, emphatically, and immediately before Numbers even finished her final word. "It's easy, cheap, fun, and people will pay through the nose to watch and/or participate."

Lucy quickly reminded him, "There is no way in hell I am wrestling anyone in Jell-O." Not surprising considering she's the one everyone really wanted to see in the ring. "And we don't have enough people for an event like that. What other ideas do we have?" Bryan was disappointed, but mildly amused by Lucy's eagerness to change the topic.

Dahlak Khan asked, "What if we exhibited a dueling tournament?"

Numbers hummed. "It's a bit simple. A duel tournament itself won't draw much attention without some kind of twist, but it's a good starting point. Go with it for the moment. What do you have in mind?"

Dahlak was of Middle Eastern descent, but he was born American and had his own share of ridiculous beliefs to prove it. "Oh. Well, what if we allowed other students or townsfolk the opportunity to buy into a tournament with us? They get the chance to stump a lockdown deck and have a chance at some short-term fame."

"I don't think that will draw enough attention," Numbers told him. "They basically got the chance to be in a tournament against us last year. Team OTK didn't participate in their own tournament, but we did. And we already beat them."

"Um…" Everyone stopped and waited to hear a follow-up to that soft squeak. Bryan wondered if there was a leak in the air conditioning or something.

Numbers knew where to look, though. Evie Petros was an incredibly shy and quiet girl. She usually just sat in the corner, leaning forward as if to assume a seated fetal position. She rarely mustered the courage even to squeak. Her fear showed in her appearance, too; she was pale, her hair was long and wild, and she wore heavy clothes.

"You have a suggestion, Evie?" Numbers asked.

Bryan commented with a smile, "Oh, Evie! I forgot you were even there. Speak up."

That just made her blush. "Um… I read about why Team Lockdown started. Maybe we could do a tournament with Team OTK."

"An interesting idea," Numbers admitted, "but how does it draw attention? What's the big hook for this tournament that we don't see every time the Academy holds placement exams?"

Feeling somewhat persecuted for lack of originality, Evie's reply was barely audible. Ivy Roaks, the bespectacled redhead, heard her and said, "I like that idea." Looking back to the rest of the group, she said, "We make it like a survival duel."

"A survival duel?" Leroy Peterson repeated. "What does that mean?" Leroy was a black sophomore with average height and weight. One of the Yellow Dorm, he had a strong personality and a penchant for ridiculous stories. "You want us to duel standing on one foot or something?"

Ivy narrowed her eyes. "No. I think she just means that we start with one member from each team on the field, and when one of them loses, the winner stays on the field to start against the second member."

"I like that, too," Clinton Ealey threw in. He was much more confident in his ability—a sophomore with a blue jacket—and always hoped to find a big challenge. This seemed about as big a challenge as he'd heard in a while. "It's like playing two duels consecutively, except we should make it so the winner doesn't draw new cards or shuffle his Graveyard with his deck or anything."

Now Bryan perked up. "So the winner is always at a big disadvantage for his second duel? I like the sound of that." He started to list a few more rules they should use.

"Before we get too involved," Numbers said. She looked to Dr. Gabrielle Houtz, the faculty sponsor for Team Lockdown. "Does that sound like a feasible idea?"

"Absolutely," Dr. Houtz replied with a big grin. She was wearing her typical Gothic getup while she sat off to the side to serve as a sounding board for passing ideas through faculty approval. She was often the one who had to remind Bryan that Dr. Lankford would never, ever approve Academy-sanctioned Jell-O wrestling. "I really like that idea."

Numbers came back and said, "Assuming Team OTK goes for the idea, I guess the next big point to make is: How do we choose the order of the duels?"

Lucy suggested, "The obvious option is to send everyone in by Academy rank. You know, our lowest rank duels their lowest rank, and we move up from there." She was aware that would make Bryan their last duelist.

Bryan grinned widely. "We should have a sort of battle royale. We'll all duel against one another at the same time, and the seeds will be selected by the order in which we run out of Life Points."

"I don't get it," Dahlak said. "You want us to lose to each other?"

"No. We all duel, and the duelist whose Life Points hit zero first becomes our 8th Seed player."

"But when your Life Points hit zero, you lose," Dahlak pointed out.

"Normally, that's true."

"I don't want to lose before I even get to play."

Bryan rubbed his forehead. With his chin resting in the palm of his hand, he looked to Lucy. "So explain the rank idea to me again."

* * *

As it goes, Team Lockdown's reaction to the idea was equally well received by Team OTK. Cary and Numbers hashed out the details, including agreement for both teams to split the fundraising profits, and that starting the survival round with the lowest-ranked duelists was more likely to offer each person an opportunity to participate than if Bryan or Matt started and took out the entire opposing team. And then they spent a few minutes bemoaning the fact that despite leading their respective teams, they were each only ranked Number 2 on their own rosters. (Despite Matt's Academy rank at the bottom of the Yellow Dorm, Numbers requested and Cary conceded to treat Matt as if he were still Number 1.)

The rules, agreed upon by both teams, were designed to make sure neither team was given favor at any point. Despite the length of the tournament if every player had full Life Points, reducing the total at all gave an obvious advantage to Team OTK. At the end of each turn, the fields were cleared of all cards; otherwise Team Lockdown would win every duel as soon as a player set a lockdown strategy in place.

The progression of play began like a normal duel with the first two players. When one of them defeated the other, the field was instantly cleared and the loser was replaced by his or her next teammate from the lineup. At that point, play continued as if the duel started over, except the winning player did not draw a new hand or shuffle the Graveyard into the deck.

* * *

Lidya Biniam was a stark contrast to Evie. Both held high ranks in the freshman dorm, but whereas Evie was too shy to talk freely even to her own teammates, Lidya had a foul mouth and a tendency to let expletives flow freely. She was a good bit taller than Evie and had a well toned, almost bulky body. And the fact that she had even one tattoo on her shoulder was enough for Matt to whistle "Lidya the Tattooed Lady" anytime she was nearby.

Dr. Corbin West, the headmaster of Duel Academy, acted as the judge for the day. Lately he seemed to age even more quickly. His once receding, silver hair and Tom Selleck mustache now looked entirely gray, and his growing belly definitely demonstrated signs of slowing metabolism. He was a walking paradox—able to recite an entire encyclopedia of cognitive duel dynamics, which he co-authored, and yet already suffering from "over-joke syndrome," the tendency for older people to tell the same lame joke repeatedly and find it funny every time. Given how oblivious he seemed half the time, it was not hard to imagine Dr. West retiring in only a few more years.

Bringing the two girls together, Dr. West had them shake hands—despite Evie's reluctance—and requested a friendly competition between them. Following tradition, he witnessed a game of Rock-Paper-Scissors. Lidya threw rock over Evie's scissors and earned herself the first turn.

"I'll start with Gilasaurus (3/1400/400)." A tall, bipedal lizard resembling a Velociraptor dashed onto the stadium floor. "But now I'll Tribute my dinosaur to activate Big Evolution Pill." A pile of glowing pills appeared on the field, and Gilasaurus disappeared after eating them. Trying to keep secrets about her Spell's effect, Lidya simply continued with, "I'll set one card and end my turn."

Evie was less confident. Hesitantly, she picked up her card and spent almost sixty seconds staring at it. She reviewed the same play in her head a dozen times before Dr. Arbus prompted her to continue her turn. She blushed heavily response.

"Sorry. Um… I'll use Card Destruction."

Lidya scoffed with loud frustration. "Well, son of a bitch."

"I'm sorry," Evie replied softly. By the rules of Card Destruction, both players discarded their hands and drew new cards. "Um… I'll set one card. I'll also, um… remove Sangan and Raiza from play to summon Dark Simorgh (7/2700/1000)." The giant, god-like bird that descended on the field brought an air of darkness with it. Its feathers were all black, and each flap of its wings prompted the stadium's Solid Vision to send a light breeze out into the stands. Evie wasn't sure whether she should attack given Lidya had a facedown card, but, being the easily swayed person she was, Evie remembered the advice Bryan gave her.

"_When in doubt, attack. Worst case scenario: You lose a monster and your opponent loses a Trap. The longer you wait to spring a Trap, the harder it is to recover."_

"Dark Simorgh will attack."

"Aw, crap," Lidya groaned as she and the audience felt the effects of Dark Simorgh's violent flapping of its mighty wings. She looked to her teammates in the wings and said, "I figured she'd attack, but not with something so big." With a dismissive wave, she said, "Bah! No big deal. I'll come back from that."

"Okay. Um… My turn's done."

Evie 8000: Lidya 8000 – 2700 = 5300.

"Here we go," Lidya announced excitedly. "Thanks to my Big Evolution Pill, I can summon Sauropod Brachion (8/1500/3000) without Tributes." Her monster was an enormous brachiosaur with a neck the length of a telephone pole and an armored crest atop its head. "I'm also going to play…"

Actually, Lidya _was_ going to play a Spell, but for some reason, it wouldn't activate. She looked up and saw a giant, black cauldron with a spooky grin drawn on the side. The air filled with a sweet smell, which is apparently the kind of smell that stops Spells. Even though she was too shy to speak up, Evie's Anti-Spell Fragrance card forced both players to set Spells before they could be activated.

"Pain in the ass. Fine. I'll _set_ a card." But that didn't work, either. The platform wouldn't accept the Spell at all.

"Actually… Dark Simorgh prevents any cards from being set."

Lidya growled, but remembering Dr. Arbus's warning, she bit her tongue. "Not _all_ cards. Brachion's effect flips it facedown once per turn and switches it to defense mode. Bring it!"

Evie had a clear advantage now. Even her level of introversion couldn't hold her back that much. "I'll set two cards. And Dark Simorgh (2700) will attack." Her winged beast whipped up a whirlwind, but the wind dissipated against Sauropod Brachion's (3000) backside and prompted Brachion to whip its neck and headbutt the giant bird.

"You lose twice the points this time," Lydia told her. "Brachion is a defensive creature, and attacking it in defense mode doubles your damage. Sucker."

Evie 8000 – 600 = 7400: Lidya 5300.

Lidya whipped out her next card excitedly. "Oh, yeah! You screwed me up at first, but now I'm ready to roll again!"

"I'll play my Trap," Evie whispered. Lidya had to ask her to repeat it, but the Trap itself said it all. When Ring of Destruction activated, a ring of stones bursting with flames wrapped around Sauropod Brachion's neck. The flames grew brighter just before the ring exploded, spreading smoke across the field and destroying the dinosaur. Scale shrapnel struck each player—luckily the realism didn't change the fact they were holograms.

"Blasted Ring of Destruction," Lidya grumbled when her Life Points dropped. At least Evie lost the same Life Points, equal to Brachion's (1500) attack points. "Doesn't matter. I'll summon Ultimate Tyranno (8/3000/2200)!" Her monster was a giant tyrannosaur covered with brown spikes and teeth the size of cement bollards. When it roared, the Solid Vision threatened the hearing of everyone in the audience; even Evie flinched at the sound. Fortunately, Solid Vision still didn't advance far enough to cover everyone in dinosaur spit.

"Your lockdown strategy has one big flaw—my Ultimate Evolution Pill. When Ultimate Tyranno attacks, your goose is cooked."

"Um…" That sound was very annoying to Lidya. It always preceded Evie's showing off that she was allowed to set and play cards, and all Lidya had was a facedown Ojama Trio. "I've got Rising Energy." When Evie discarded a card, Dark Simorgh's (+4200) aura grew heavy as it absorbed power from the air around it.

"You've got to be _kidding_ me!"

Waiting in the wings, Cary commented, "At least she didn't swear."

Despite the dinosaur's big teeth, the giant bird avoided the attack and retaliated with a violent whirlwind. The Ultimate Tyranno was sliced into tiny pieces until it disappeared. Now Lidya was stuck without a monster and a complete inability to play any Spells or Traps.

Evie 7400 – 1500 = 5900: Lidya 5300 – 1500 – 1200 = 2600.

Evie drew and looked nervous. "Um… I have Dark Simorgh (2700)."

Lidya scoffed, but then she just waved her hand as if inviting Evie to continue. "Go ahead."

With that, Dark Simorgh (2700) unleashed its attack against Lidya's Life Points. The audience got to feel the powerful gusts of wind strong enough to blow baseball caps off a few heads.

Evie 5900: Lidya 4100 – 2700 – 1700 = 0.

There was a moment of stunned silence in the audience—Shy Evie actually beat Loud Lidya?—before half of the spectators started cheering. Although interspersed within the stands, it was clear which half of the audience pulled for a Lockdown victory.

Lidya swore as she shook Evie's hand again and left the arena. Cary patted her on the shoulder and gave her props for a tough duel. She had her OTK strategy almost ready to go from the start, but she just needed her Ultimate Tyranno before she could make it work.

Allen stepped up and told Lidya not to worry. "I'll get our momentum back."

* * *

Dr. West introduced Allen as he climbed the stadium steps and shook Evie's hand. Evie shuffled Allen's deck for him, and then Dr. West excitedly announced the start of the second duel.

Allen stepped up and drew his cards. "I'll set one monster and end my turn."

Evie was shocked to see such a simple move, but she didn't have a whole lot to say on the matter; she had only one card except for the one she was just about to draw. She wordlessly summoned Mist Valley Watcher (4/1500/1900), a man wearing a green tunic and blue cape, with talons in place of feet and hands. "Um… I'll attack."

"You flipped my Needle Worm (2/750/600)," Allen informed her gently. A purple worm with needles protruding from each segment of its body wrapped around Evie's deck before it disappeared, making sure to take five of her cards with it to the Graveyard.

"Oh. Well, it's your turn."

Evie 5900: Allen 8000.

Allen set another monster on the field and quickly set two cards behind it. "I'll activate Book of Taiyou, a Spell that flips my Morphing Jar (2/700/600) into attack mode." After a yellow book with a sun crest on the cover opened and shone light on the field, a jar flipped up and produced an amorphous being with a single eye and a wicked grin. As the being scattered across the field, both players discarded their hands and drew five new cards.

"I'll play The Shallow Grave, which lets us each take a monster from our Graveyards and set them in defense mode." With only one choice, Allen chose his Needle Worm. Given a few options, Evie selected her Dark Simorgh. "I have another Book of Taiyou to play on Needle Worm (2/750/600)." When the purple worm flipped up, it wrapped around Evie's deck and took five cards away.

"I've also got Book of Eclipse, which puts all face-up monsters face down instead. And with that, I'll end my turn."

Evie 10 cards: Allen 28 cards.

As soon as Allen ended his turn, Evie's two monsters flipped into attack mode and forced her to draw two cards. With the effect of Morphing Jar giving her five cards earlier, she now had a decent selection of cards.

"I'll play Battle Mania." Allen's card flipped up, and suddenly Dark Simorgh (2700) and Mist Valley Watcher (1500) tensed for battle. "During this turn, you can't skip your Battle Phase, and all your monsters have to attack."

"Really?" Evie gasped. She knew what that meant. Simorgh's powerful wind sliced through the Needle Worm, but not until the worm took five cards from Evie's deck. And then when Mist Valley Watcher attacked the Morphing Jar and spilled its contents around the field again, she was forced to draw more cards than her deck currently had. "I guess… I couldn't last."

Evie 0 cards: Allen 23 cards, 8000 LP.

Allen had a genuinely friendly smile on his face as he shook Evie's hand and congratulated her on her performance. She shyly accepted, and she never moved more quickly than she did as she exited the platform and returned to the hidden area in the wings with her teammates.

"You did well," Numbers complimented her. "Winning the first hand gave us a critical odds boost. Thanks to you, I think we've got a great chance at winning this."

"Especially with me coming up," Leroy agreed. He patted Evie heavily enough to make her flinch and then jogged up to the platform while Dr. West introduced him. "I hope you're ready for this, Empty Jar, because this will be your toughest duel yet."

"Of course."

* * *

Leroy was coming in with a fresh hand, but Allen had a full hand, too, thanks to the effect of his Morphing Jar. It was almost like he and Leroy were starting a duel from the very beginning of a duel.

"Here it is," Leroy said. "I'll play Polymerization to fuse Ojama Yellow, Green, and Black into Ojama (6/0/3000)." A trio of oddly-shaped goblins swirled into a giant, indiscernible mass momentarily, emerging once again as a large, egg-shaped goblin wearing red bikini briefs with a snowflake design. The goblin's grin was as wide as its body, which comprised just a head, stubby arms and legs, and two stalks where its eyes were located. Ojama King emitted a burst of electricity on the field, shocking three of Allen's field zones and rendering them useless. "I'll also put a card down."

Leroy 8000: Allen 8000.

Allen realized pretty quickly this duel was going to be tricky. Two in a row is a bit of a stretch, but with the right cards… "I'll set one monster."

Rubbing his hands together, Leroy said, "Alright then. Give me some magic, Sweetness."

* * *

Bryan looked to Lucy and asked, "Did he really just call his deck Sweetness?"

"You have a better name for it?" Numbers asked him.

"Of course. Garth Fannysmacker."

* * *

Leroy played a card called "Ojama Country. It's a field just for the Ojamas. As long as there is an Ojama monster on the field, all monsters on the field have their attack and defense switched." He grinned at his egg-shaped Ojama King (+3000/-0). "You ready? I'll summon Ojama Yellow (2/+1000/-0)." The yellow goblin had an incredibly thin body to support a massive head, very similar to its egg-shaped ally. All Ojamas were noted for wearing red bikini briefs. "I'll attack your monster with Ojama Yellow."

Allen flipped up his monster, a demon-like creature with tiny wings, green shorts and tank top, and an oddly geriatric face. "When Spear Cretin (2/500/500) is flipped and subsequently sent to the Graveyard, we both take a monster from our Graveyards and either set it in defense mode or summon it in attack mode." Pulling a card from his Graveyard, he said, "I'll set Spear Cretin."

"I see what you're doing," Leroy laughed. "Well, Ojama Green (2/+1000/-0) here wants to fill up my field while I'm at it." Ojama Green, a slightly stouter and greener version of Ojama Yellow, threw an incredibly pathetic punch to destroy the second Spear Cretin (500); Allen revived the first Spear Cretin while Leroy summoned Ojama Black (2/+1000/-0). Leroy continued to attack just for the fun of it.

"This time I'll set Morphing Jar."

"Oh! I see where you're going. I attack that, lose five cards, you revive it, I lose five cards, you keep cycling me through Morphing Jar so I lose faster and then you get to take out a significant portion of my team by yourself. Well, I'll let Ojama King just sit there for a minute then and let you keep your Needle Worm."

"Suit yourself," Allen told him. "I'll Flip Summon my Morphing Jar (2/700/600) right now." The jar from earlier appeared on the field, flipped over and spilled its amorphous contents, and forced both players to draw five cards. "I'll follow-up with Book of Moon." A blue book with a moon crest on the cover opened and shone moonlight on the field, forcing Needle Worm into facedown defense mode once again. "I'll set one more monster plus two cards. Now I'll play Card Destruction."

"Dang, man," Leroy moaned. "You've got all kinds of discard effects, don't you?"

"I do, because I'll chain Serial Spell by discarding the rest of my hand." As Allen emptied his hand, a wizard appeared on the field; channeling magic through the blank Spell hologram, a second copy of Card of Destruction appeared on the field. In short, Leroy had to discard and redraw his hand twice consecutively. And in the act of discarding Ojamagic, he had to draw three more Ojama cards to his hand from his deck.

"Lastly, I'll remove A/D Changer from my Graveyard from play to switch Needle Worm (2/-600/+750) to attack mode." The now-familiar purple worm with the needled segments wrapped around Leroy's deck and took away another five cards. Allen was pleased with how well that worked out. Showing his empty hands, he said, "Now it's your turn."

Leroy 14 cards: Allen 16.

* * *

"This kid is pretty damn impressive," Clint said without any sarcasm. "I probably would have used Needle Worm that first time, but then the Card Destruction play wouldn't have worked."

"He's thinking all the way through his moves," Bryan noted. "The last time I saw someone able to think that far ahead so early in his freshman year was Matt." But Bryan knew Allen couldn't possibly have the same cheating strategy as Matt. That meant this Allen kid might be even better than Matt, given time to develop.

* * *

Leroy moaned and rubbed his forehead. "I can't believe I messed up this bad. But I think I can come back now. I'll play Ojama Delta Hurricane!" Ojamas Yellow and Black put their hands together; when Green set one foot on their hands, the two pushed him into the air. In that triangular position, all three began resonating with and formed a massive whirlwind that drew in all the cards on Allen's field, destroying them without activating flip effects.

"I feel a _little _better," Leroy admitted. "Now I'll play Ojamuscle." Ojama King stepped up and ate all three Normal Ojamas, instantly converting them all into sinewy biceps. "Ojama King (+6000) gains 1000 points for each. Take that attack." Ojama King braced himself and charged forward, ultimately tripping over his own legs and stumbling directly into Allen for a direct attack. "I'll also play Ground Collapse and end my turn."

Allen knew what that meant when he looked at his field. Two of his monster zones sunk into the ground, and the other three were still struck with Ojama King's electricity. He couldn't play any monsters; Leroy's field lockdown worked.

Leroy 13 cards, 8000 LP: Allen 16 cards, 8000 – 6000 = 2000 LP.

"I hope this will defend me," Allen said as he drew. He sighed. "At least it wasn't a monster. I'll set a card and end my turn."

Leroy 13 cards, 8000 LP: Allen 15 cards, 2000 LP.

"Then I'll just attack," Leroy said.

Ojama King (-3000) started to run again, but he suddenly stopped and returned to his starting position. Allen played Negate Attack, "Which, uh…" He searched for something witty to say, but all he came up with was, "you know, negates your attack." He cleared his throat to draw attention from himself. "Anyway. My turn, right?"

Leroy 12 cards, 8000 LP: Allen 15 cards, 2000 LP.

"No such luck this time," Allen admitted. "I can't summon any monsters, so I guess this part of the duel is yours."

"'Bout time," Leroy commented. "Ojama King will attack for the game."

Leroy 11 cards, 8000 LP: Allen 14 cards, 2000 – 3000 = 0 LP.

Cary gasped at the stage. "That rat knocked out Allen's Life Points." She rolled up her sleeve and started toward the stage, saying, "I'm gonna knock out _his_ Life Points."

Matt grabbed her from behind and held her back. After struggling against him for four seconds, she craned her neck calmly toward Matt and said, "There's a possibility you were right about my crush on the tall guy."

He simply replied, "I know. That means Bryan owes me a dollar." He looked back at Palmer Deluca, a chubby redhead with a full beard who was most notable for being mute. He never said a word, even as he walked onto the stage. "At least it's Palmer's turn."

"Mr. Fake Sign Language? I wouldn't count on his getting too far."

One thing was sure; Palmer's version of sign language was not one of the commonly accepted forms. Although some of his signs were similar to American Sign Language, his particular dialect was unrecognized anywhere in the world. When Leroy asked him if he was "ready to get beat," Palmer responded by tapping his deck twice and then held up his arms as if getting ready to box.

"What are you doing?" Leroy asked. Palmer pointed to his mouth and then drew his finger across his neck. "Is this charades? Aren't we dueling anymore?"

Palmer rolled his eyes and decided to play his cards without Leroy's comprehension. He placed one monster and two cards face down on the field. In a simple and obvious signal, he motioned an offering to Leroy.

"Quiet dude," Leroy commented. "Anyway. I'll set a monster and end my turn."

Palmer drew, and then he began signing again. He held his arms up and out, making himself look big and wide. He took big, elaborate steps and opened his mouth as if to roar.

* * *

Desmond Vele asked, "What's he supposed to be? A duck?"

"No," Matt replied matter-of-factly. "He's a bear."

With a look of bewilderment, Cary asked, "When did you become the expert on psychotic sign language?"

"My step-father was drunk a lot."

* * *

The field showed a large and heavy grizzly bear. Mother Grizzly (4/1400/100) roared thickly and lumbered across the field to slash at Leroy's monster, which turned out to be Ojama Blue (2/0/1000), a goblin with blue skin, an enormous head, and red bikini briefs—all that kept the monster from being naked.

"This guy's unique among Ojamas," Leroy smiled. "When he's destroyed in battle, I get to put two Ojama cards in my hand."

Palmer again motioned as if offering Leroy his turn.

"Going quick here," Leroy said. "I'll summon another unique Ojama: Ojama Red (2/0/1000)."

Palmer being motioning again; he pointed from the red, bikini-clad goblin to Leroy to his own mouth and made an X with his forearms. Leroy had no idea what that meant and just looked at Dr. Arbus confused.

With a slight grin, Dr. West explained, "He says that you called Ojama Blue and Ojama Red both 'unique' Ojamas, but the word 'unique' means one-of-a-kind. They can't both be unique." Palmer nodded excitedly with Dr. West's accurate interpretation. Everyone else was shocked Dr. West could understand that, but rather than explain how, he just gave an old-man style grin to amuse himself.

"Whatever, man," Leroy uttered. "My point is, when Ojama Red is summoned, I get to summon any other Ojamas from my hand." He loaded the field then with Ojama Yellow, Green, Black, and Blue (2/0/1000). "I've also got another Polymerization to fuse Blue with the Red in my hand and summon Ojama Knight (5/0/2500)." The swirling fusion energy dissipated and left behind a goblin wearing a full suit of armor and red bikini briefs. Two elderly Ojamas—one Yellow and one Green—appeared on Palmer's field and sat down uselessly. "With Ojama Knight, you lose two of your Monster Zones."

The field mudded over again. "I've got another Ojama Country, which flips the attack and defense of all monsters while an Ojama is on the field. And I'll also play The Big March of Animals." A series of Duel Monsters appeared in the back of the field, all recognizable beast-types. "My monsters gain 200 points for each beast on the field. I'll start with Ojama Knight (+3500) attacking Mother Grizzly (-1000)." Ojama Knight ducked forward behind his pointed shield and dashed across the field without watching his path. He meandered around the field noticeably before finally colliding with the blue grizzly.

Palmer opened his arms again like a bear, and then he crossed his arms over his chest as if dying. But when he saw the clueless look in Leroy's eye, he waved off the field as if to shoe a mosquito. He let the holograms tell the story.

With Mother Grizzly's destruction, a water monster with 1500 points or fewer replaced her. A man wearing ragged clothes, carrying an old-fashioned hoe, and showing an obvious bruise from a whip on his back lumbered onto the field like a malnourished, downtrodden peasant. He was joined in the backdrop by several more Oppressed People (1/+2000/-400).

"Holy crap!" Leroy shouted. "Where'd that come from?"

Palmer signed, and Dr. Arbus translated, that Oppressed People was released a really long time ago in Duel Monsters. It's a very common card, in fact.

"I just thought it was a piece of junk and ignored it. I mean, it's only supposed to have 400 points. Who would have thought it would be worth anything in a real duel?" The entire stadium was dead silent for exactly six seconds as everyone except Leroy noticed the irony of an Ojama user thinking that other cards are useless. Palmer simply pointed to his head, which Leroy misinterpreted. "Yeah, you are pretty smart." Palmer rolled his eyes again. "Well, Ojama Yellow (+2000) will suicide himself against your guy."

A ring of stones spitting fire latched around Ojama Yellow's neck. When the Ring of Destruction exploded, it took Ojama Yellow with it. As a result, all other Ojama (-1800) monsters lost 200 points.

"No way," Leroy complained. "I needed to win with this attack. I've only got seven cards left." Palmer nodded.

Leroy 8000 – 2000 = 6000: Palmer 8000 – 2500 – 2000 = 3500.

Palmer, giving up on trying to communicate with Leroy, simply summoned another Oppressed People (+2000), and then he Flip Summoned a third Oppressed People (+2000). He activated a Spell called Delta Attacker and his three Peoples positioned themselves in a triangular attack formation. When Palmer pointed, all three groups People charged straight past the Ojama army and swarmed Leroy directly, which caused him to flinch and attempt to use his red jacket to protect himself from the holograms.

"Scared me for a second," he commented.

Palmer mimed frightened surprise, and then put his hands together and mimed an explosion. He pointed to the deck and then wiped imaginary sweat from his brow. It was a reminder that with three direct attacks, Leroy's Life Points were all gone.

Leroy 6000 – 2000 – 2000 – 2000 = 0: Palmer 3500.

"Huh," Bryan huffed. "I guess you don't need to be able to communicate to whip somebody else in a duel. Wouldn't you say, Leroy?"

Leroy sighed and shook his head. "Listen, man. I think he's got some kind of psychic power or something. I've never seen anyone play cards like that." He fist-bumped Dahlak and told him, "You're gonna have your work cut out for you."

"And just remember," Lucy added to Dahlak. "He's not The Doctor, so you don't have to threaten to blow up the Earth." The dead silence around her informed her that nobody knew what she just said. "Oh, what? Only Bryan can make jokes about TV shows?"

"Don't worry, Lucy," Dahlak reassured her. "I've seen that show. I got the joke."

* * *

Dahlak stepped up, pointed rigidly at Palmer, and said in a strained and wavering voice, "Exterminate!" Palmer winced in confusion, but Dahlak quickly chuckled and said, "I'm just kidding. Let's duel."

He drew his first cards. "I'll set one card and summon Card Guard (4/+1900/500)." Card Guard resembled a manta ray with its wide wingspan. Spikes covered its underside and curved horns topped its head. "It gains a Guard Counter when summoned and 300 points for it."

Palmer motioned that he was setting a card and a monster.

"I'll summon Wattgiraffe (4/1200/100)." A yellow quadruped with light bulbs for ears and conductor rods as antennae jolted onto the field. "This guy gets to attack directly." Electricity charged between the giraffe's antennae when it leaped over Palmer's field and shocked Palmer directly.

When Dahlak's next motion took a motion to start, Palmer pointed to himself questioningly.

"Almost. I'm going to move Card Guard's counter to my Wattgiraffe. That means you won't be able to destroy it without first destroying the Guard Counter. Now I'm done."

Dahlak 8000: Palmer 3500 – 1200 = 2300.

Palmer opened the field zone on his Duel Disk and slipped a card inside. Immediately, the field covered with grass high enough to swallow a cat, and holographic rain started to pour on the field. Luckily, the stadium's Solid Vision found sprinkling the audience a sufficient experience in exception to the horrendous downpour on the field. The Field Spell was Wetlands, and it empowered low-level aqua-type monsters.

And to get one, he activated Monster Reborn; an ankh appeared on the field, and it slowly transformed into the form of the Oppressed People (2/+1600/2000). Palmer also activated Inferno Reckless Summon, which granted his Oppressed People enough spiritual energy to keep the Graveyard open long enough to bring back the other two groups, giving Palmer three Oppressed People once again.

And then Palmer pointed between his monsters and Dahlak, and to his deck. "Oh. I get to use the effect, too?" Specifically, Palmer's opponent got to duplicate any monster already on his field. "I guess I'll summon another Wattgiraffe (1200)." A second giraffe appeared on his field, crackling a bit of electricity with each step.

Palmer motioned aggressively with his right hand as if to swing an invisible sword, then he held his left hand forward in a defensive pose, and then he pointed with each hand toward the other. With the activation of Shield and Sword, all the attack and defense points of monsters on the field switched. Oppressed People (+3200) looked ready to revolt, and that was exactly what Palmer had them do. One man, formerly being whipped, slashed Card Guard (-500) with his hoe, tearing a chunk from its belly; a second slashed Wattgiraffe (-100) with his hoe and cracked the Guard Counter on its back.

"One more would finish it, eh?" Dahlak confirmed. "You're pretty good. But I have one defender left over." As the third and final man attacked the second Wattgiraffe, a scarecrow built from random bits of iron thrown together haphazardly stood up and blocked the attack. "Scrap-Iron Scarecrow negates one attack per turn, and then it gets reset on my field so I can use it again later."

Palmer acknowledged the play and ended his turn.

Dahlak 8000 – 2700 – 3100 = 2200: Palmer 2300.

"That was close," Dahlak admitted. "But now Shield and Sword's effect expires, so both my Wattgiraffes (+1200) can attack with full power again." The two giraffe's charged electricity between their antennae as they leaped past the Oppressed People and collided with Palmer directly.

Dahlak 2200: Palmer 2300 – 1200 – 1200 = 0.

* * *

With the conclusion of the fifth duel in the series, Dr. West called for a short intermission. It was akin to having a three-period hockey game, even if the players didn't really need to catch their breath. It was an excuse for the Kaiba Corp. network to throw in a lot of commercial time to support their sponsors.

"Dahlak's tougher than I expected," Cary admitted to Numbers.

"Same with Palmer. I thought for a minute he was going to take down two of my duelists."

Cary grinned. "Well, you're one-up now, but don't count on that lasting. Sean may seem like a vacuum sometimes, but with a little guidance, he's turned out to be a duelist to contend with."

"I'll keep that in mind," Numbers agreed. "But you remember something, too; Dahlak hasn't used his lockdown strategy yet."

* * *

_The word count for this chapter should tell you something. I thought this was going to be short, but I decided to turn this into a little mini-arc. It will give me a chance to intersperse some interactions between characters who haven't received much focus time yet and introduce characters who haven't appeared yet, plus it will give me more time to make amusing, trivial conversations that will have little bearing on the story as a whole. If my assessment is correct, two more chapters will have Lockdown vs. OTK duels, and the third will contain the finale, which _is _necessary to the progress of the story. At least this filler material will be pertinent to the story, unlike the Sword Fiend arc. (What a waste of time that was.)_

_I'd like some feedback about the constant chapter breaks here. I thought it would help ease the organization going from duel to duel, but maybe the result was too choppy. Any opinions?_  
_Likewise, I always appreciate feedback about my style or about the chapter in general. If something doesn't make sense or if you had any nagging thoughts or if you just want to complain for reasons you can't quite pin down, I will listen. Any feedback might help make me a better writer. (The corollary to that is: Point out my typos, but don't weigh them against me too heavily; I don't proofread my own writing very well.)_

_P.S. For those of you who didn't pick it up, the joke about Dahlak's name was a reference to the Daleks from _Doctor Who_. I love that show, and when the name popped up on my name generator, I had to take it. I'm shameless that way._

_Credits:_  
_Darius Mantzios...tiramisu19_  
_Jason Maxim...Maxim and Knight_  
_Nathan Zislaw...Mavrik Zero_  
_Hillary Delaney...Nodqfan144_  
_Lili Von...Happy2BMe_  
_Carter Jade...Jaden2010  
Mitsuro Itachu...Titanic X  
Sean Bivins...DarkVestroia2_  
_Ivy Roaks...Mental Panda_  
_Naoto Kurotsuki...Kurotsuki Haru_  
_Hayley Wilson...TeamRocketDiva_  
_Maikeru Stone...onyxshade7  
Victor Rocks & Abel Shinzou...Iron-Arm-V_  
_Alister Kazama & Jessica Parks...ZaneKazama001_  
_Synthia Spencer...Madly Chessur_  
_Leila & Linear Lockhart...Windraider__  
Logan Wilson...MercWithTheMouth13_  
_Allen Tebaro...Nouva17  
Tai Ishihara...ZAFT Prime_  
_Everyone else so far...YamiRuss_


	5. Lockdown vs OTK, Part II

Chapter 5: Lockdown vs. OTK, Part II

Each year, the members of Team Lockdown and Team OTK completed fundraisers to support their programs, and they generally tried to be more creative than just holding a duel. Given the motto of Duel Academy ("Growth Through Dueling"), they opted to hold a survival tournament against one another. So far, Team Lockdown led three duels to two, with Dahlak Khan narrowly defeating Palmer Deluca.

After a brief intermission, the teams reconvened and prepared for the continuing duels. Dahlak was stuck with the 2200 LP he had remaining from his earlier duel, but he still had a good hand with him. And fortunately for him, he was up against the member of OTK whose higher rank was mainly because he wasn't a freshman. Sean Bivins, a student of the Yellow Dorm, was one of Cary's sleeper finds—someone she was convinced would be a good OTK duelist if he just had a little more support and direction. This duel would be a chance either to prove her right or to give Dahlak a reputation.

Offered the first turn, Sean said, "I'll just set a monster."

"Really?" Dahlak asked. He drew and looked at his card. "Alright! I'll set a card and activate The Dark Door." A heavy black curtain fell in the middle of the field, and a small door opened in the center. "Now each of us only gets to attack with one monster each turn. I'll also set a monster and end my turn."

Sean mocked, "I don't need to attack you with a lot of monsters to win. I'll set two cards, and then I'll Tribute my monster to summon Kuraz the Light Monarch (6/2400/1000)." The field shone with the reflective, golden armor of a small giant. Even his chain male cape shone like the sun. "When he gets summoned, he destroys two cards."

"Well, hunting me is futile. You can't destroy my cards because I've got protection."

"Oh, look who's so smart. I'm destroying my _own_ cards." Kuraz reached out with his large hands and grabbed Sean's two facedown cards, dispersing their energy into the air like a golden mist. "And because of that, I get to draw two cards." When he looked at his cards, he started chuckling. "Oh, ho, ho! Now who's hunting who? The fox has become… the fox… that's catching… itself?"

Dahlak looked confused. "What?"

"I think I lost some steam there. Let's just say 'you're not so smart' and leave it at that. Kuraz (2400) is going to attack your monster."

"Oh, no he isn't, Mr. Fox-Catching-Fox." The bases skirt around the golden knight's waist shimmered with each step through the shadowed door, but before he could grab Dahlak's monster, a scarecrow built from random bits of iron thrown together haphazardly stood up and blocked the attack. "Get it now? My Scrap-Iron Scarecrow blocks your big knight's attack and resets itself." The scarecrow fell back to the ground and disappeared from sight again, returning to its former shape of a facedown card. "It can be used again during my next turn, and The Dark Door makes it so only one monster can attack per turn."

"And the Scarecrow blocks one attack per turn. That's clever. So if Kuraz won't help me, I'll use Monster Gate." Another door opened on the field, but this one was extra-dimensional; the world on the other side of it looked like an ethereal, purple cloud that drew Kuraz into it, one particle at a time. "I Tribute a monster, and then I get to draw until I find another monster." He picked up six cards from his deck before he found Magical Exemplar (4/1700/1400). Wearing green wizard robes and Egyptian jewelry, a woman stepped back through the gate onto the field. "Now I can set one card and end my turn."

Dahlak smiled. "I'll summon Dewdark of the Ice Barrier (2/1200/800)." A snowstorm hit the field like a smoke ball, and when the mist cleared, what stood in front of Dahlak was a man clad in ninja clothes colored purple. Without making a sound, he was still one of the loudest ninjas around. "As long as I only keep Level 2 monsters on the field, he can attack directly." In a spooky, drawn-out voice, he added, "And you'll never even see it coming."

Dewdark disappeared and almost instantaneously popped up in front of Sean, slipped a holographic kunai into his belly. Sean flinched heavily and turned white as a sheet before he remembered the hologram couldn't hurt him.

With a smug, satisfied look on his face, Dahlak said, "I'll end my turn."

Dahlak 2200: Sean 8000 – 1200 = 6800.

Sean drew and put a confused look on his face. "Well, Pot of Greed might help." The field showed a large, green urn with a face on the side; the face was making a big grin, revealing yellowed teeth. Sean began chuckling. "I love that jar. It's so funny."

Dahlak chuckled in agreement. "Me, too. It looks like my grandma when she watched _The Beverly Hillbillies_." Dr. West let the guys make jokes for a moment, much to the dismay of the audience, but he soon pushed them to get back to the duel.

"Sorry," Sean said. "I'll play Magical Stone Excavation." When he discarded two cards, the ground opened in front of him and revealed a trove of amethyst hidden beneath the Earth's mantle. "It lets me return Pot of Greed to my hand." He thought for a moment, and then he checked the card he had set on the field. "Oh, right. I guess I should play Magical Explosion now."

Suddenly Magical Exemplar began channeling energy beyond her control. She appeared in pain for a moment, but then her aura exploded and her magic blasted across the field in a focused beam aimed directly at Dahlak. Per the Trap card's effect, Dahlak suffered 200 points of damage for each of the eleven Spells in Sean's Graveyard. "I guess it's your turn now."

Dahlak 2200 – 2200 = 0: Sean 6800.

"Real classy insult," Dahlak moaned as he walked away.

"Where you going?" Sean asked. He looked around and wondered what happened to his Magical Exemplar. "Hey! Don't you want to take your turn?" He almost sounded genuinely confused.

Cary very calmly stepped up and asked him, "Sean? What is 2200 minus 2200?"

Taking a moment to do the math in his head, Sean said, "Zero. What's that got to do with it?"

She just patted him on the shoulder. "Nothing. I think Ivy just really wants a chance to duel against you."

"Oh, yeah? Cool. I'm up for a challenge."

"Which starts with tying your shoes, I'm sure."

* * *

Ivy wasn't the kind to do much trash talk during a duel. She wasn't against it and she recognized that people do it just to raise adrenaline and promote a competitive atmosphere, but she felt like it was a crutch she didn't need. That attitude was why she felt like she was the most appropriate opponent for Sean; the others would probably just make fun of him.

"I'll start with Cactus Bouncer (4/1800/300)." A stout, anthropomorphic cactus with a wicked grin and an attitude apparent by the look in his eyes waddled onto the field. It looked like a guy who was hoping for trouble to show off his toughness. "And while I'm at it, I'll activate Black Garden."

Across the field, holographic vines surrounded the duelists like a green fog with black roses blooming two or three times per vine. While Sean tried fruitlessly to remove the holographic vines that wrapped around his legs and torso, the audience felt their involvement when the heads of their seats extended forward, mimicking the jungle effect of the vines, and the lights of the stadium dimmed, mimicking the darkness created by the thick vines.

"Are you okay?" Ivy asked Sean.

He was reaching behind his back fairly feverishly. "Something's sticking me. It itches."

"It's all in your head," she assured him. "The vines can't actually touch you; it's just a hologram. And it's your turn." Fortunately, Ivy found Sean's psychosomatic insistence that the vines were grabbing his neck funny.

Eventually, Dr. West's prodding pushed Sean enough to duel despite his itchy neck. "I'll start with Pot of Greed." When the green urn with the goofy grin and the yellowing teeth appeared on the field, Sean started laughing. "Oh, man. That's hilarious!" Very suddenly, he smacked his own neck and flinched, looking away again. "Are there mosquitoes in here?"

"It's not real," Ivy reminded him. A part of her wondered what Sean would look like as a cartoon character, but no part of her creativity could imagine anything cartoonier than he already looked and acted.

"That's easy for you to say. They're not after you." With an irritated look on his face, he said, "Graceful Charity is up next." An angelic woman wearing white robes held out her hands to Sean, offering three cards in one but demanding two cards in return with the other. "I draw three and discard two. Now I'll play Summoner Monk (4/-400/1600), and when he's summoned, he goes to defense mode." An elderly, sage-like man appeared on the field seated in the Lotus position. His body was veiled by purple and white robes, and the hood held a prominent red jewel, matching the red glow in the Monk's eye.

Vines from the Black Garden grappled the Summoner Monk and cut his attack points, and then suddenly a large rose the size of a bean bag chair blossomed beside Ivy. He flinched heavily. "Whoa! Where did that come from?"

"It's a Rose Token (2/800/800)," Ivy answered with a laugh. "It appears anytime a monster is summoned into the Black Garden." She grinned coyly and added a vague, "Then again…"

"Cool. Well, I'll discard a Spell so Summoner Monk can summon another monster from my deck." Even after he discarded, Summoner Monk didn't move. "What happened?"

"Cactus Bouncer won't let either of us Special Summon when there's another plant on the field," Ivy explained simply. Her monster stood on the field with its arms folded over its chest as if to resist an invitation. "And that Rose Token is a plant. You basically just wasted a Spell card." Sean smacked his neck again and looked eagerly for the nonexistent bugs that harangued him. "Then again, maybe you didn't even notice."

Sean finally became lucid enough to say, "I'm done for now."

"Wonderful. I'll summon Botanical Lion (4/-1400/2000)." Creaking loudly as it moved through the vines, a lion appeared with the body of a tree root and a mane like a flower. Like the Ents from Middle Earth, the Botanical Lion moved with strength and grace, but its root-like body lacked significant speed, especially after the vines from Black Garden ensnared its legs. "So Black Garden cuts my Lion's points in half, but then he gains some back for there being a plant monster on my field. Now Cactus Bouncer (1800) will attack Summoner Monk (1600), and Botanical Lion (1400) will join Rose Token (800) in attacking you directly." The stout cactus wandered across the field and sucker-punched the Summoner Monk in the gut. Every step by the root-like lion sounded like a falling tree as it holographically clamped down on Sean's leg and ripped violently. The Rose Token simply turned toward Sean and spat a thorn at him. "I'll also set a card and end my turn."

Ivy 8000: Sean 6800 – 1400 – 800 = 4600.

Sean spent another minute fighting off imaginary mosquitoes before he realized it was his turn again. He didn't even notice the look of pity Ivy gave him.

"Yeah. I'm just going to set a card and a monster."

Ivy was almost disappointed Sean didn't seem to put up much of a fight. "I'll play Hand Destruction so we both discard two cards and draw two new ones. I'll summon another Botanical Lion (4/-1700/2000)." A second root-like lion creaked onto the field beside the first one. "You ready for another round?"

"Kinda. I'll use my Trap." A stream of blue, magical energy began to gather in a focused ball in front of Sean. After a moment of collection, the energy burst, and the Magical Explosion sent shockwaves across Ivy's field, disintegrating many of Black Garden's vines and blinding the audience momentarily.

"Your trump card," Ivy realized. "Good time for it, I suppose. You'll probably only get one more turn. Botanical Lion (1700) will attack your monster." The lion moved with all the alacrity of a tree as it clamped its jaws down on Sean's wooden mask—a monster shaped like a mask with a cross-shaped scar on the cheek. "Oh, no!"

"Yeah, you fell for it, didn't you?" Sean asked with a chuckle. "When Mask of Darkness (2/900/400) is flipped, I get to return a Trap from my Graveyard to my hand. I'll obviously take Magical Explosion."

Ivy was impressed, but also prepared. "I have a Trap, too."

Less enthused, Sean asked, "You do?"

"Yes. It's called Blossom Bombardment." Seeds rained down on Sean's field like bombs. "When your monster is destroyed by my plants, you lose Life Points equal to your monster's attack points." She stopped for a second to do a mental calculation. "And that's why this is the last turn. Cactus Bouncer (1800), Botanical Lion (1700), and Rose Token (800) will take away the rest of your Life Points."

Ivy 8000 – 3000 = 5000: Sean 4600 – 900 – 1800 – 1700 – 800 = 0.

When one player's LP hit zero, all the cards currently on the field were sent to the Graveyard, meaning Ivy's Black Garden disappeared and all the holographic effects faded with it. Sean breathed a sigh of relief as he shook Ivy's hand.

"Man. That was a good strategy. I bet that jungle and all those mosquitoes distract everyone you duel against, don't they?"

Just accepting the fact that Sean didn't seem to understand the way holograms work, she simply replied, "Yeah." As she shook his hand, she noticed a few red bumps on his forearm. Pulling it closer to get a good look, she asked him, "Are those actual mosquito bites?"

"Is this your first time seeing one? Man, you're lucky," he said with a chuckle.

Ivy was amazed by the psychosomatic reaction to imaginary insects. A little worried for what might happen if Sean were to get hit by a holographic train, she recommended, "Maybe you should take a break for a few minutes."

* * *

Ivy waited on the field for her next opponent. Desmond Vele was the most veteran member of Team OTK, being part for three years. Before heading out, Desmond nervously asked his teammates, "Is she a mean girl or a regular girl?"

Matt laughed at him. "Didn't working with Laura Guertin teach you anything?"

"That all girls are mean." It's a mystery why Desmond never achieved Team Leader.

Cary smacked his arm and said, "Shut up and get out there."

"Oh, yeah," Matt commented. "That attitude ought to disprove his point."

After a quick greeting with Ivy and a failed attempt to intimidate her by mentioning his three-year stint in Team OTK, Desmond synchronized his Duel Disk with the stadium and drew his opening hand.

"I will just set one monster," Desmond said.

"Okay," Ivy agreed cheerily. "But I'm going to clear the field by playing Mind Control." A pair of floating hands appeared on the field, not connected to anything until string sprouted from each fingertip and turned Desmond's monster into a puppet. As the hands pulled it to her side of the field, and her Duel Disk registered the card to her field without making Desmond hand it to her, Ivy checked it out to see what the facedown monster was. "A Batteryman? Really?"

"They make great monsters because they are already so scary," Desmond claimed.

Confused, Ivy asked, "What are? Batteries?"

"Yes. Especially when you lick them."

She was genuinely speechless. "Uh huh. So… I'll just remove Nettles from play to summon Spore (+3/400/800)." A fuzzy spore with sparkling, blue eyes and a cat-like smile floated onto the field like a dandelion seed. "By tuning my Spore (3) with your Batteryman AA (3), I can summon Queen of Thorns (6/2200/1800)." Spore separate into dozens of spores and swarmed the anthropomorphic battery like a fuzzy cyclone. When the spores disappeared, a beautiful woman stood in place; her body was half plant, with rose petals for a skirt, vines growing from her head and torso, and her hands shaped like flytraps. "A direct attack will be a great way to start this duel." The Queen held her flytrap hand forward, and vines crawled across the floor. When they reached their destination, the vines wrapped around Desmond and squeezed tightly. "That ends my turn."

Ivy 5000: Desmond 8000 – 2200 = 5800.

"I need Batteryman again," Desmond commented to himself.

Ivy graciously warned him, "Be aware that summoning a non-plant monster means you'll have to pay 1000 Life Points."

"Really?" Desmond asked. "Good thing I don't have any plants. I don't want to pay 1000 Life Points."

"Wait. Plants don't cost anything. Other monsters do."

Desmond looked confused. "Well, either way, I don't want to pay. I'll use Premature Burial to revive the Batteryman AA (3/0/0) you just stole." Although built with a torso like a battery, Desmond's orange monster had limbs like a skinny Mega Man and a head shaped like a helmet. "And I'll use Inferno Reckless Summon." Instantly, the ground opened up and paved the way for two more Batteryman AA (3/+3000/0) to make their way to the field. All three Batterymen began to resonate with one another and share a charge, causing each to gain 1000 points for each battery on the field.

"Oh, crap," Ivy uttered accidentally. She didn't expect Desmond would be able to do so much so quickly, despite the fact that Palmer used a very similar strategy.

"Um… I don't really have much else to play, so I'll just have all three Batterymen attack." The first one grabbed Queen of Thorns (2200) by the arms and released a burst of electricity with the power and effect of a bolt of lightning. That left the field wide open for the other two Batterymen; they each cracked a couple of electrical bursts that zapped the rest of Ivy's Life Points.

Ivy 5000 – 800 – 3000 – 3000 = 0: Desmond 5800 – 800 = 5000.

* * *

Synthia Spencer was a cute, short, young woman who colored her hair flawlessly teal and spoke with a heavy Southern US accent. She was generally the kind of girl who might stand out because she had trouble sitting still. If she wasn't excited or interested by something, then she got restless. Of course, boredom wasn't the only biological inevitability that made her restless…

"How is it that even during a dueling contest, usually a field dominated by men, that the women's bathroom _still_ has a really long line whereas the men's bathroom is wide open?"

"Use the men's room," Lili told her. Lilian Von didn't care much for convention, and the only rules she supported were the ones that made sense. She was also short and small in mass; coupled with her sharp features, she looked slightly elfin. And maybe her size is what caused her to develop such a tough, confrontational disposition.

"Seriously? What if someone walks in?"

Hillary was seated in her wheelchair. "We'll stand guard for you. You don't have to worry about that." Hillary Delaney was a sweet and very soft-spoken girl. No one ever heard her raise her voice, let alone get angry. She considered herself realistic—optimistic but with a touch of logic. Her outlook stemmed from her life as a paraplegic; as a kid, she was diagnosed with spina bifida—incomplete development of the spinal cord. Dealing with that taught her how to stay positive while keeping in mind that not everything in life can be predicted.

And Murphy's Law declared that something unpredictable was required to happen. And Murphy wasn't happy just sending a guy to the men's room; it had to be a high-ranking guy.

Alister Kazama had a dark complexion and jet hair pulled back into a short ponytail. His blue jacket indicated his level of dueling skill and was tight enough to suggest his athletic build. He was just better than average height, but even that meant he towered over the girls blocking him from entering the bathroom.

"You can't go in there," Hillary told him.

"Why not?"

"Uh…" She wasn't sure if she should tell him there was a girl in the bathroom. He was the year's Resident Adviser for the Blue Mansion and could easily get the girls written up for breaking rules.

Lili was more capable of making up stories on the spot. "He's shy."

Alister narrowed his eyes curiously. "Who's shy?" Recognizing Hillary and Lili as usually hanging out with that girl from the Yellow Dorm, he realized, "Your girlfriend is in the bathroom, isn't she?" Maybe Lili was a good liar, but Hillary's expression gave the truth away completely. "I see. How about this deal, then? I won't raise a stink if you continue for a while longer." He looked back toward the women's room and motioned with his head. A woman with long, blonde hair saw him, showed an expression of realization, and dropped from the queue to approach the men's room. "Get it?"

Jessica Parks had sky blue eyes that were accented by the fact that her skin was subtly sun kissed. She was average height, but she stood a head and a half higher than Lili, and her athletic build is what gave her the nickname Ms. Softball. Actually, it was her continually high performance level that earned her the nickname, but the two are not uncorrelated. Her relationship with Alister was the college version of married life, and so Alister's intentions were pretty clear.

"Deal," Lili said. She could lie with the best, but she also recognized a fight not worth fighting.

As Jessica entered the bathroom, Synthia stepped out. She did a double-take when she realized another girl was going into the men's room, but she had more important things on her mind. "Guys can't aim."

"What? That's gross."

"I'm serious. There are paper towels all over the floor _around_ the trash can. Can't they aim at all?"

They all looked to Alister for some sage-like wisdom. "We use up all our aim on other activities."

* * *

Riding high on his victory over Ivy, Desmond didn't give a second thought to the fact that Clinton was a higher-ranked opponent. On a similar note, Clinton merely thought of this duel as a warm-up.

With a smirk, Clint started his turn. "I'll activate One for One and discard Samsara Lotus to summon an identical Samsara Lotus (1/0/0) from my deck." A wilted flower lay on the field for a moment before a ray of light caused a seed to sprout into another red-petal lotus. "And I'll send that Lotus to the Graveyard to summon Prime Material Dragon (6/2400/2000)." A small section of the field became almost formless and amber-toned, like observing the walls in a deep cavern. Like moving liquid, the substance formed the vague appearance of a sharp-headed dragon with six wings. It managed an awkward-sounding roar. "That and one facedown card will end my turn."

Desmond watched the Prime Material Dragon for a while—its substance oozing around the field like a lava lamp. "That looks like one of those inkblot tests."

"Rorschach," Clint told him.

"Not me? Lots of dragons roar." Desmond was definitely not shocked by that dragon's roar. He shook his head and made a face. "I thought you were supposed to be a smart guy, geez. I'll remove two of my Batterymen from the Graveyard to summon Batteryman Industrial Strength (8/2600/0)." An outhouse-sized car battery rolled unicycle-style onto the field. It drew two electrical cables from the battery pack on its back and held them as charged daggers. Suddenly both charged cables were jammed on the floor and an electrical current headed for Clint's facedown card and for Prime Material Dragon. "By removing a third Batteryman from play, I can destroy your facedown card and your monster."

"Wouldn't that be nice?" The amber-colored material absorbed the electricity and, in return, followed the trail of electrical burn back to Desmond's monster and encased it in a growing glob of prime material. "By discarding one card, Prime Material Dragon negates your effect and destroys that card." When the giant glob of material shrank and moved away from Desmond's field, Batteryman Industrial Strength was gone.

Desmond didn't look upset; he looked confused. "That was gross. Oh well. I'll play Dimension Fusion to summon all three Batteryman AA (3/+3000/0) back to my side of the field." The orange robots with the battery-powered torsos appeared on the field once more and began to share their charge, generating 1000 extra attack points for each of them. "You ready for this?"

"Pretty much."

Desmond laughed for a few seconds before stopping abruptly. "Really?" Then he convinced himself that a guy as calm and cool as Clint was just psyching him out. "Alright then. Prove it. Charge, Batterymen!" He snickered to himself. "Get it?"

"Clever. Activate Mirror Force." Suddenly a clear, reflective wall appeared between Batteryman AA (3000) and Prime Material Dragon (2400). When the electricity-powered hand contacted the wall, the electricity overloaded and all three Batterymen exploded.

"Uh oh."

"Indeed."

"Um… I'll set a card and end my turn."

Given the stunned look on Desmond's face, it was no challenge for Clint to decide, "Yeah, that's totally a bluff. I'll summon Arcana Force VI – The Lovers (4/1600/1600)." He placed a card on his Duel Disk, and the field suddenly showed an image like a humanoid alien—with giant hands, a helmet-like face, and a lower body that looked like a skirt. When the jewels that studded its skin began to glow, a holographic coin flipped in the middle of the field and showed everyone "Heads" as the result. "When Arcana Force monsters are summoned, they get one of two effects; in this case, The Lovers will act as two Tributes, and that comes in handy when I activate Double Summon." A quick flash of light from his Duel Disk gave him the opportunity to Normal Summon once more. The Lowers disappeared, and the bodies of four planets appeared in the air around Clint.

"Better watch your head," Desmond suggested. "It looks like the sky is getting hard."

"Duly noted. Meet Arcana Force XXI – The World (8/3100/3100)." A floating torso the size of the aforementioned planets appeared between the celestial bodies. Shining like black steel, the torso was marked by an amber-toned gem and two Claw-like arms. "And… activate." Once more, a holographic coin flipped. Clint gazed casually at the "Heads" symbol without so much as a sigh of relief. "Perfect. I'll attack directly with Prime Material Dragon (2400)." The amber-toned material oozed across the field and engulfed Desmond in a holographic tidal wave.

"Can I borrow a surf board next time?" Desmond asked.

Ignoring him, Clint actually ended his Battle Phase. Instead, he pointed out, "When I have no Spells or Traps during my End Phase, my two Samsara Lotuses revive themselves." Two flowers sprouted on the field again, each with stems like small, chlorophyll-infected human bodies. "And now, The World absorbs their energy in order to make time stand still for you." The Claw-like hands reached out and grabbed the Lotuses, drawing them into the amber gem and causing a blinding flash across the field. "And because it's still my End Phase, my Samsara Lotuses (0) revive once more. And that will end my turn."

Clint 8000: Desmond 5000 – 2400 = 2600.

Desmond tried to mount a defense, but his Duel Disk locked up. "That ooze of yours must have waterlogged my Duel Disk. It thinks it's still your turn."

"Not _still_," Clint corrected him. "_Again_. By The World's effect, your turn was skipped. And it will be again. Just watch. First, my Samsara Lotuses inflict 1000 points of damage to me." Each Lotus had a poisonous pollen that it couldn't control, and thus inflicted damage upon its owner. But the pollen was absorbed into the prime material ooze. "But Prime Material Dragon reverses the effect and makes sure that I _gain_ those points instead. Now do you see why I didn't end the duel during the previous turn?"

"Of course," Desmond replied quickly.

Raising an eyebrow, Clint asked, "Do you really?"

"Um… Maybe?"

"I see. Well, I'll attack with Prime Material Dragon (2400) again," and he watched the ooze swamp Desmond a second time. "Now The World absorbs my Samsara Lotuses, but they revive immediately afterward." The amber gem flashed another bright light across the field to freeze time for Desmond, and both flowers popped up once again. "Your turn," Clint said. Mockingly, he added, "Oh, wait!"

Clint 8000 + 1000 + 1000 = 10,000: Desmond 2600 – 2400 = 200.

When Clinton's turn started anew, and the prime material on the field absorbed the Samsara Lotus pollen, he ended his turn without attacking.

"What gives?" Desmond asked. "I still don't get a turn, so you're just going to skip your Battle Phase a bunch of times and raise your Life Points to taunt me?"

"It's not to taunt you," Clint assured him. "I know who's up next, and I'm not going to lose just because I tried to take her down with only one card in my hand."

Clint 10,000 + 1000 + 1000 = 12,000: Desmond 200.

"I want a full hand by the time my next duel starts."

Clint 12,000 + (3000) + (3000) = 16,000: Desmond 200.

On Clint's fourth turn since making that claim, he finally held six cards in his hand. "That's much better. Now Prime Material Dragon can end the duel." For the last time, the amber-colored ooze splashed over Desmond and shut down his Duel Disk completely.

Clint 18,000 + 1000 + 1000 = 20,000: Desmond 200 – 2400 = 0.

* * *

"This guy is going to be one tough jackass to beat," Lidya commented. Arms folded rudely across her chest, she admitted, "If Dr. West didn't force him to end the duel during that turn, he could have increased his LP forever."

"No, he couldn't," Matt argued playfully. "He'd run out of cards in his deck eventually."

Rory scratched his arm affectionately. "Luckily for us, I'm next. I'll take this chump down a few notches no matter how many Life Points he has." She activated her Duel Disk and skipped onto the stadium platform.

"So, Clinton. We meet again for the first time for the last time."

He smiled at her and shook his head playfully. "Sure thing. I'm ready for you, Aurora."

"Oh, how many people have made that mistake," she taunted him. She pointed to his jacket and said, "You may have jumped straight into the Blue Mansion as a sophomore, but so did I, and I'm ranked higher for a reason. So get your game on!"

Clint narrowed his eyes in puzzlement. "What does that mean?"

Rory shrugged. "No idea. It was scribbled on a desk in one of my classes. Anyway, I'll set a monster and another card. Now, you think you're hot stuff? Give me your best shot!"

She was hardly intimidating to a guy like Clint. In fact, he could only grin and take her goading as a chance to impress her. "I'll set a monster, too. And I'll set one card."

"You won't impress me by mimicking me," Rory mocked. She drew her next card and started her onslaught. "I'll summon Cyber Dragon Zwei (4/1500/1000)." The monster that appeared on her field was a long, steel serpent with gold bonding. It slithered beside her and coiled itself, snake-like. "By showing you the Machine Duplication Spell in my hand, Cyber Dragon Zwei now takes on the appearance of Cyber Dragon." Although the mechanical serpent's parts didn't change, the gold bonding turned black and the serpent's aura darkened tremendously. "And I'm far from done.

"For my next trick, I'll flip my Armored Cybern (4/0/2000)," a mechanical wyvern about the size of a battery pack, "and use its Union effect." As a special type of monster, Union monsters can equip to certain other monsters on the field. Armored Cybern was capable only of docking with a Cyber Dragon, and that's exactly what the machine did; it connected to Cyber Dragon's breast like a piece of gold armor. "Now it's time for Ceasefire." Two men wearing red and blue, respectively, appeared at a table in the middle of the field, and each signed a piece of parchment indicating an intent to halt aggressive actions toward one another. As a result, Arcana Force 0 – The Fool (1/0/0)—a creature dressed much like a court jester but with goggle-eyes and living, spaghetti-like hair—appeared where Clint set his card.

"What if I refuse to sign?" Clint asked coyly.

"Then I'll stop you by force," Rory bantered in reply. "The Ceasefire costs you 500 points for each effect monster on the field. That's 1500 for Cyber Dragon, The Fool, and Armored Cybern. And now, I'll use Armored Cybern's effect to destroy The Fool." Cyber Dragon (-500) released a powerful laser blast from its golden chest plate, and in return for being powerful enough to destroy Clint's monster, the laser drained 1000 attack points from its user.

"You think a 500-point Cyber Dragon will help much?"

"I do. I'll activate that Machine Duplication from before." A robotic scanner appeared on the field and circled Rory's Cyber Dragon, noting its features and structure. Two conveyor-powered assembly lines rose from the ground and carried two Cyber Dragons (5/2100/1600) from Rory's deck to the field. Each of these was bigger than her Cyber Dragon Zwei, but they had the same dark aura about them.

"Hence the purpose of Armored Cybern," Clint noticed. "Machine Duplication only works when the monster has 500 points or fewer."

"Exactly. And just for fun, I'll attack with all three of my monsters." Both Cyber Dragons (2100) spewed streams of energy from their mouths. The faux Cyber Dragon (500) attempted the same, but its effort paled in comparison.

"And now, I'll play Super Polymerization to fuse my three machines." When she discarded one card, lightning suddenly struck the field and bonded the three Cyber Dragons together into a machine bigger than the sum of its parts—one with three heads and wings like the side of a house. "Meet Cyber End Dragon (10/4000/4000). Now how was that surprise?" The three heads of the Cyber End Dragon resonated and released simultaneous blasts of energy that focused on Clint directly. "One more card and I end my turn."

Clint 20,000 – 1500 – 2100 – 2100 – 500 – 4000 = 9800: Rory 8000.

"That was a good turn," Clint admitted. "That's why I was careful enough to boost my Life Points before confronting you. But at this point, I'll play Call of the Haunted!" A tombstone rose on the field and opened a gate to return a monster from the Graveyard.

"You think bringing back The World will help?" Rory asked.

"I'm not bringing him back… yet. I'm bringing back The Fool (1/0/0)." His jester-like alien reappeared on the field, its hair swirling around the field, and a holographic coin flipped to reveal "Heads." "And now I'll play Creature Swap."

"Oh, you jerk," Rory muttered. Her Cyber End Dragon disappeared momentarily and reappeared on Clint's field, completely switching places with The Fool. "I don't want this thing."

"That's too bad, because The Fool can't be destroyed by battle. I'll send your Cyber End Dragon (4000) to attack."

"I'll play Dimension Wall," Rory replied. A wormhole opened in front of The Fool and absorbed Cyber End Dragon's triple blast, transporting it to the sister wormhole situated behind Clint. "It negates my damage this turn and inflicts it upon you instead."

Clint scoffed, but kept a sarcastic grin. "Well done. But you still have to hit me two more times like that to take all my Life Points, and I guarantee I won't sit by and let you do it." He set one more card and ended his turn.

Clint 9800 – 4000 = 5800: Rory 8000.

"I don't need you to _let me_. I'll Tribute your Arcana Force monster to summon Cyber Dragon (5/2100/1600)." The alien disappeared and gave way for a bulky, metal serpent identical to the ones that comprised Cyber End Dragon. "And now? I'm going to take Cyber End away from you. By sending Cyber Dragon _and_ Cyber End Dragon to the Graveyard, I fuse them into Chimeratech Fortress Dragon (8/+2000/0)." The two dragons merged and a loud explosion of metal, and what emerged was a bulky, train-like machine that resembled a giant Cyber Dragon made from several circular pods.

"That abomination defies the rules."

"You only say that because I used a monster from your side of the field. And now I'll attack you again." One of the segmented bays that comprised Chimeratech's body opened, and a Cyber Dragon launched at high speed directly for Clint. Rory set one more card before ending her turn.

Clint 5800 – 2000 = 3800: Rory 8000.

Clint huffed loudly, but he kept his cool. "I'll just have to play The Agent of Creation – Venus (3/1600/0)." With a body like a golden statue, a woman descended slowly to the field, her wings spread widely and her hair flowing as if against gravity. She crossed her arms over her chest and channeled angelic energy into the air; the energy collected at three points into Mystical Shine Balls (2/500/500)—giant marbles shimmering with energy.

"Didn't that just cost you 500 points per Shine Ball?" Rory asked.

"It did. That gives you the lead temporarily," Clint admitted. "But it's worth it because now I get to Tribute all three Balls to summon Arcana Force EX – The Dark Ruler (10/4000/4000)." A massive, black body—one the size of half the field—appeared with a shockwave. Two tree-trunk-sized arms and claws like machetes, a torso that gave way not to legs but to flowing tails, and two lengthy necks with dragonic heads sprouting from its shoulders… The Dark Ruler was a fearsome sight.

"And now the effect activates." Yet again, a holographic coin flipped on the field and revealed "Heads" as its result. "That gives The Dark Ruler the ability to attack twice during the Battle Phase." The massive creature whipped one of its dragonic heads forward and bit clean through the Chimeratech Fortress Dragon (2000). And then the second head whipped forward.

"So close," Rory commented. "I've got Call of the Haunted to summon my Cyber Larva (1/400/600)." This machine looked like a mechanical slug—a mere bug compared with the Cyber Dragon. "You still want to attack?"

"Uh huh. I'm not intimidated by an insect infant." The Dark Ruler's (4000) second head consumed the Cyber Larva in a single bite, but because of the bug's physiology and lack of development, Rory didn't lose any points for its destruction. On the other hand…

"When Cyber Larva is destroyed by battle, I get to summon another one." A second, identical bug appeared on the field. "Try again?"

"Yeah." The Agent of Creation – Venus released a burst of blue energy from her bracelets and destroyed the second Larva, causing a third to be summoned from Rory's deck. "You've got to be running out of monsters by now."

"I prepared this deck for a survival duel," she reminded him. "I'm still set for a little bit. You have any other plays to make?"

"No. It's your turn."

Clint 5800 – 500 – 500 – 500 = 4300: Rory 8000 – 2000 = 6000.

"Well, lucky for me your Dark Ruler switches to defense mode after it attacks, and it doesn't switch back for two turns. That's why I'm okay ending my turn right now."

Clint smirked. "You're so full of it sometimes. You used up your whole hand and now you're completely stuck, aren't you?"

"So? I'm still winning."

"Yeah. Well, come my next turn, that won't be true anymore. I'll attack your Cyber Larva (400) with Venus (1600) and end my turn."

Rory sighed deeply, knowing that there was a real chance Clint was right. If he managed to bring back The World, she would be basically screwed. And she already made a decision not to use the other card in her hand. She just had to draw something useful…

"I'll summon Cyber Eltanin (10/+4000/+4000)." An eruption of light exploded from Rory's Duel Disk, and images of eight Cyber Dragons appeared and then faded as all Cyber Dragons and Cyber Larvae were removed from play. The light subsided to reveal a floating tank shaped like a dragon's head. Eight smaller Cyber Dragon heads floated around the tank like aerial defense mechanisms. All eight of them turned to Clint's field and began blasting.

"Curious about the onslaught?"

"No."

"Not even a little?"

"Nope. Your monster destroys everything else when it's summoned, and I'm activating Reversal of Fate." A roulette board appeared in front of The Dark Ruler and began spinning. "My Arcana Force monster's effect gets reversed to the Tails side. That means you can go ahead and destroy all my monsters." When the tank's beams hit Arcana Force EX and pierced its armor, The Dark Ruler exploded in a massive shockwave that obliterated Cyber Eltanin and The Agent of Creation with it. "But when The Dark Ruler is destroyed, so is every other card on the field."

"Damn it," she muttered to herself.

"What's the problem? Aren't you winning?"

She made a face at him. "Yes! I just… can't hold back the way I wanted to. I have to play Card of Sanctity." Gold coins began to rain across the field, unlocking each player's deck for six cards.

"You really hoped to use that against Lucy to get a fresh hand, didn't you?" Rory admitted he was correct. "It's pretty cocky to assume you'll be able to beat me."

"It's pretty cocky to think you can take down two of our team," she retorted. "I'll play D.D.R. to summon Cyber Dragon (2100) from play." A wormhole opened and allowed the metal serpent to slide through.

Clint made a face. "Why Cyber Dragon? Why not Cyber End Dragon?"

"Because Cyber End Dragon can't fuse with The Light – Hex Sealed Fusion (3/1000/1600)." The monster she summoned looked like a conglomeration of everything—basically the chicken of Duel Monsters. "When I Tribute both monsters…" The monster mesh reached out with one long arm—from some kind of cat-primate hybrid—and pulled the Cyber Dragon inside the chaos. Both duelists saw a burst of energy that comes from a Cyber Dragon, imposing order upon the chaos and turning the mass into the shape of Cyber Twin Dragon (8/2800/2100), a larger serpent with two heads.

"The Twin version?" Clint asked. His voice betrayed his heretofore cool demeanor; he was clearly distressed by the appearance of a monster able to end the duel.

"That's right," Rory said. "It looks like our little tussle is decided." One head from the Cyber Twin Dragon lunged for Clint and struck him directly. Immediately ensuing, the second head repeated the process, striking Clint directly and reducing his Life Points to zero.

Clint 4300 – 2800 – 2800 = 0: Rory 6000 – 800 = 5200.

Rory had a big smile on her face when she approached Clint for a handshake. "I bet you wish you had chosen to revive The World instead of that stupid clown now, don't you?"

"Don't be snarky," he snapped back. "You beat me this time, but we will duel again. And I'm going to put you in your place next time."

With a dry look that was simply dripping with sarcastic nuance, Rory commented, "Your team spirit is what I envy the most." The score was tied now. And if Rory could manage to beat Lucy, she'd give Team OTK the lead.

What could a bunch of Spell Counters do against a deck still full of Cyberdark monsters?

* * *

_Sorry that took so long. Turns out writing a half dozen duels in one chapter is not a quick activity. I'd say they should get easier because we're into more familiar characters now, but that's what I thought about Clint vs. Rory and that ended up as the longest part. To sum up, next chapter will have four more duels, and then the survival series will end on the following chapter. That's when we'll get back to chapters that include less important storytelling elements like _plot points_. I hope to break up the next chapter's duels with a few more social interactions like the rest room scene, but I make no promises given my ability to procrastinate and my short attention span._

_Credits:_  
_Darius Mantzios...tiramisu19_  
_Jason Maxim...Maxim and Knight_  
_Nathan Zislaw...Mavrik Zero_  
_Hillary Delaney...Nodqfan144_  
_Lili Von...Happy2BMe_  
_Carter Jade...Jaden2010  
Mitsuro Itachu...Titanic X  
Sean Bivins...DarkVestroia2_  
_Ivy Roaks...Mental Panda_  
_Naoto Kurotsuki...Kurotsuki Haru_  
_Hayley Wilson...TeamRocketDiva_  
_Maikeru Stone...onyxshade7  
Victor Rocks & Abel Shinzou...Iron-Arm-V_  
_Alister Kazama & Jessica Parks...ZaneKazama001_  
_Synthia Spencer...Madly Chessur_  
_Leila & Linear Lockhart...Windraider__  
Logan Wilson...MercWithTheMouth13_  
_Allen Tebaro...Nouva17  
Tai Ishihara...ZAFT Prime_  
_Everyone else so far...YamiRuss_


	6. Lockdown vs OTK, Part III

Chapter 6: Lockdown vs. OTK, Part III

"Aren't you going to wish me luck?" Rory asked Matt with a big grin.

"You don't need it. Just go out and do what it is you do every time you duel." She leaned in like she expected a kiss, but Matt just hugged her instead, stealing a glance up toward the stands. Even though the team wings had high walls, he knew other people could still see them—Cary included.

Rory knew why he pulled back. "You still haven't officially broken up with Kasumi?"

"Come on," Desmond ragged. "You two haven't been seen together since a month before last semester ended. I don't think a relationship gets more broken up than that."

Matt sighed. "Yeah, but if there's a chance we're not on the same page…"

Sean perked up. "Ooh. There's no need for you to put that kind of stress on yourself. I'll tell her for you."

That got Cary excited. "For five bucks, I'll tell her."

Matt just laughed at the middle-school-like behavior. "No, guys. I'll tell her myself. I don't want Kas to think I'm a coward or something."

Cary's expression fell drier. "Then give me five bucks or _else_ I'll tell her." Matt gave her a cross look and she shrugged. "What? I need five bucks!"

* * *

The oddsmakers favored Rory in this match-up—sort of a youth vs. experience thing. But Lucy learned long ago how to ignore what other people were saying about her. This was just a chance to remind everyone that for her entire upperclassman career, she was ranked within the top six.

"I will start by summoning Rapid-Fire Magician (4/1600/1200)." A spellcaster dressed in black archmage clothes and carrying a jeweled staff in each hand appeared on the field. "And then I'll add Swords of Revealing Light." A bright light shone overhead and spread in the shapes of three swords across Rory's side of the field. "That means for three turns, you can't attack." And her Magician absorbed some of that light into his staffs, amplifying the power and spouting an energy-charged ball that exploded on impact with Rory. "That's just a bonus."

"Indeed," Rory replied as her Life Point counter changed.

Lucy 8000: Rory 5200 – 400 = 4800.

"Pretty good to hit me on the first turn," Rory admitted. "I bet you were an amazing Guardian Dueler."

Lucy returned a genuine smile. "Thanks. It's easy for other people to forget that sometimes considering I'm dating the Number One duelist."

"Then here's a good time to shine," Rory suggested. "But not just yet. I'll play Heavy Storm to wipe away your Swords." A powerful cyclone built on the field in front of Rory, ripping holes in the ground and strewing debris around the field. It sucked in the Swords of Revealing Light and destroyed them. "And now I'll open a vision of the future." When Rory placed Future Fusion on her field, a green time vortex appeared and drew in five dragons from her deck.

"And everyone probably thought you used your really big guns against Clint," Lucy said, feigning cheer. "Ugh, I'm bad at smack talk. If you get your Five-Headed Dragon on the field, it will impress me, especially because you already played every Cyber Dragon known to man."

"Not all of them," Rory countered. "I'm going to summon Cyberdark Keel (4/+2500/800)." What appeared on her field was a serpentine eel with electrical cables spilling from its body almost tentacle-like. The cables reached into Rory's Graveyard and pulled out a Hunter Dragon (1700), strapping it to the body of the Keel and drawing attack power from it. "As usual, Cyberdark monsters equip low-level dragons and gain their attack points." Equipped with the bladed body of the Hunter Dragon, the Cyberdark Keel slid across the field as smoothly as in water and wrapped around Rapid-Fire Magician (1600). When the Keel began to shift and pull, it shredded the Magician, and a few of the stray cables whipped out and struck Lucy directly. "When Cyberdark Keel destroys a monster, it deals an extra 300 points of damage. I'll set one card and be done with it."

Lucy 8000 – 900 – 300 = 6800: Rory 4800.

"That was good. I'm going to summon Defender, the Magical Knight (4/1600/2000) and set two cards." Her knight wore heavy, blue armor, but the entire suit barely outweighed his Spartanesque shield—like a reinforced barn door.

"And it's my turn again," Rory said with excitement. Her green time warp grew in size. "One turn passed. One more and I get a dragon. Until then, I'll attack with Cyberdark Keel (2500)." The eel wrapped its cables around the blue knight just as before, but it couldn't tear through Defender's shield; it could only break it. "Well, no bonus this time, but a few Life Points are better than no Life Points," Rory decided.

Lucy 6800 – 900 = 5900: Rory 4800.

"I've already seen a lot of your OTK strategies," Lucy commented as she drew. "I really hope I don't have to see another."

"I don't blame you," Rory replied.

Lucy cracked a grin. Rory was acting pretty confident in herself right then, but she had good reason to. Lucy needed to stay on her toes if she wanted to beat this rising star. And her deck was willing to lend a hand.

"I'll summon Skilled Dark Magician (4/1900/1700)." The tall man who stood on her field wore long, black robes that obscured his slender form. He carried with him a scepter capped by a black orb. She was worried about Rory's facedown card. She had her own combo ready to play, but she couldn't just start playing cards willy-nilly like Bryan always did. Maybe she could find a way to spoil the timing…

"Let's have Defender (1600) attack your monster." As soon as Defender gripped his short sword and moved to attack, Lucy activated her own Trap, one that caused the entire floor to appear as a golden hexagram. "Magician's Circle let's us each summon a spellcaster with 2000 points or fewer."

"I don't carry spellcasters," Rory pointed out. She flipped through her deck and showed Dr. West as proof.

"I do," Lucy answered with some excitement. "I'll summon Disenchanter (5/2000/2300)." The woman spellcaster who appeared on the field had a very familiar face for even the newest of players; she was rumored to be the older sister of the Magician of Faith which is taught in even the most basic of courses. Like her sister, she wore blue, but in lieu of a staff, she carried a mystical fan.

"Unfortunately, Defender (1600) is forced to continue his attack." The armor-clad knight slashed heavily with his small blade, but it only scratched the Cyberdark Keel's (2500) exterior. The cables caught Defender on his way back and retaliated, crushing him and his armor. "But I don't have to keep attacking. Instead, I'll go to my Main Phase II."

Rory was suddenly struck with a moment of concern. If the Hunter Dragon equipped to Cyberdark Dragon wasn't destroyed, she couldn't activate her Crush Card. Lucy would have free reign until the turn ended. Then she would have to deal with the Five-Headed Dragon.

"I'll activate my Call of the Haunted to revive Rapid-Fire Magician (1600). And next, I'll activate Nightmare's Steelcage." A domed cage with large spikes at each crisscrossed node dropped from the sky and covered each duelist. "For the next two turns, neither of us can attack."

Rory smiled. "I can deal with that."

"Wrong verb tense, but I get your meaning," Lucy said. Skilled Dark Magician absorbed some power from the steel cage into his scepter. Rapid-Fire Magician likewise absorbed power in his two staffs, but whereas the Dark Magician stored the energy, Rapid-Fire Magician cycled it through his body, added a bit of his own, and returned the energy directly at Rory. "When a Spell Card is activated, Skilled Dark Magician gains a Spell Counter, and Rapid-Fire Magician deals you 400 points of damage." Just when Rory saw the pattern, Lucy spelled it out. "By removing a Spell Counter, Disenchanter can return Nightmare's Steelcage to my hand." The elder Magician reached out and absorbed the energy from Skilled Dark Magician's scepter and used it to remove the steel cages from the field.

When Lucy activated Nightmare's Steelcage again and recreated the entire process, Rory realized, "Hey, wait a minute. That's an OTK strategy!"

When she thought about it, Lucy knew it could be viewed that way. But in her defense, "It doesn't usually work out this way. I'd usually get Disenchanter and Nightmare's Steelcage and then have to work you down over several turns of locking you from attacking. I just lucked out this time."

The process repeated _ad nauseum_, which occurred before all of Rory's Life Points were gone. Because the holograms lengthened the presentation of card effects, going through that entire sequence twelve times really whittled even the most devoted spectator's patience.

"You could just give up," Lucy suggested half-heartedly.

"No way!" Rory replied. "If you want to beat me, you have to do it yourself. You just don't want to have to press those buttons to activate those effects over and over again."

Lucy couldn't help smiling at Rory's determination. It was irrational and stubborn, but definitely amusing and indomitable. "I like that about you. You're just like Bryan. He said almost the same thing when I first came up with this lockdown."

"Then you won't mind if I watch impatiently while you continue trying to finish beating me."

Lucy laughed while she continued repeating her lockdown/OTK sequence.

Lucy 5900 – 900 = 5000: Rory 4800 – 400 * 12 = 0.

* * *

"We're behind by one duel," Cary pointed out.

"Closer to half a duel," Matt argued. "It looks likely we'll end up with an even split in wins."

She didn't like his logic. "They'll be on the field longer, and that means they will win this duel." She shook her head angrily. "Besides, you're forgetting that they drew first blood, and if Bryan beats you, that means they'll have eight wins to our seven." Under her breath, she muttered, "Even split."

"Oh, yeah. I was never god at tournament math."

"Luckily, it's my turn." She took in a long, slow, deep breath and let it out gently. "I just need to finish Lucy quickly so Numbers can't get the jump on me."

"A lot of guys here would love to see Numbers get the jump on you out there." Before he was even done joking, Cary punched him hard in the arm. "Ow. That was my Duel Disk arm!"

"Adapt."

He huffed. "Fine, but if I'm going to duel at full speed, I'm going to need a coat rack, some Pop Rocks, and a cape." Needless to say, she heard his words, but she ignored him completely.

Given the look on Cary's face when she half stomped onto the stadium floor, Lucy immediately jumped to the conclusion: "Matt giving you a hard time back there?"

"Suffice it to say I would really like to beat all three of you without ever letting him draw a single card."

Lucy just smiled at Cary's ambition. "Well, good luck. Your deck is one of the fastest in the school, so if anyone has a good shot at it, you do."

Cary smirked. "Flattery won't make me easy on you. I'll summon Dragunity Brandistock (1/600/400)." The first of her flourishing Dragunity monsters was a small, blue-skinned dragon with small claws and sharp wings compensated by its heavy blue armor capped with a blade-like horn. "That's all for now."

"That's not going easy on me?" Lucy wondered. "Let's see what Breaker the Magical Warrior (4/+1900/1000) has to say about that." Like Defender's thinner brother, Breaker wore red armor and armed himself with a small shield bearing a Spell Counter. He dashed forward with his rapier and stabbed Brandistock around the dragon's armor. "I would almost expect a repercussion of some kind except I know that dragon's effect. I'll let you take a turn now."

Lucy 5000: Cary 8000 – 1300 = 6700.

"Let me?" Cary repeated. "You're out of cards. Beating Rory drained your hand. That's exactly what I will avoid doing when I beat you. I'll summon Dragunity Aklys (2/1000/800)." This one was a red dragon, whose wings sprouted from its head, wearing silver armor. "By his effect, I'll summon Dragunity Arma Leyvaten (8/2600/1200)." In stark contrast with the previous dragons, this one had orange scales and was three times the size of the others. It had two sets of wings—one set of reptilian wings around the waist and one, larger set of feathered wings from its shoulders. It carried in its hand a mighty great sword with a crooked, black blade.

"That's a bigger card," Lucy admitted.

"Agreed. Because of Aklys's effect, it equips directly to Leyvaten." The red dragon lay on Leyvaten's forearm and set root. Suddenly, the same thing happened with Brandistock returning from the Graveyard to settle on Leyvaten's forearm. "And summoning Leyvaten brings back another Dragunity monster. Now it's my turn to attack." Leyvaten (2600) whipped over its powerful sword and split Breaker (1900) in two. "And because of Brandistock, it gets to attack again." Leyvaten followed by swinging its empty fist, armed with Aklys and Brandistock. "Now I'll end _my_ turn."

Lucy 5000 – 700 – 2600 = 1700: Cary 6700.

"I should really get some Dragunity monsters. You get to do so much with such little impact to the cards in your hand."

"I know. And they're even better when used by a stellar duelist like me."

"I'm not too bad, either, you know? Just see what Arcane Apprentice (2/1000/400) has to say about it." This spellcaster resembled the Black Mages from the _Final Fantasy_ series. Blue magician's robes and a pointy hat rendered his face merely a shadow. "And I'll mix in a little Instant Fusion." A large, green cup of noodles appeared on the field, but with the word FUSION written in fancy letters. When the top peeled open, out popped a bare-chested man with wild blond hair and an electric guitar in his hands. "I'll pay 1000 Life Points to summon Musician King (5/1750/1500). And when these two tune together, Arcane Apprentice becomes Arcanite Magician (7/+2400/1800)." The black mage spouted fire from his fingertips and Musician King strummed loudly on his guitar. When the flames and the sound waves resonated perfectly, the two monsters merged into a taller magician wearing white robes and emitting a green aura.

"Mine's still bigger," Cary commented.

Lucy laughed. "You know Bryan's head just blew up when you said that."

"So did Matt's. I guarantee he's trying to imagine it."

"That's too bad. He's going to miss my big move. When Arcanite Magician is summoned, he gets two spell counters, but by removing one, he destroys a card on your field." With a little wave, she said, "Say bye-bye, Leyvaten." Arcanite Magician (-1400) held his hand forward and cast a green spell that enveloped and exploded Cary's orange dragon.

"That is such an intelligent move," Cary praised, "except for one thing: When Aklys is destroyed while equipped to a Dragunity monster, he destroys a card on the field, too." When Cary's dragon exploded, the red dragon with the bladed forehead flew out in front of the debris and fatally struck the magician in the white robe.

Lucy hung her head without a play to make. "Oh, man. That was a clever move. No wonder you didn't set a Trap or anything."

Lucy 1700 – 1000 = 700: Cary 6700.

"Of course not. I'm saving them for Numbers," Cary broadcast as her Duel Disk lit up. "I'll summon Dragunity Corsesca (1/800/700)." This pink dragon forewent the armor and armed, instead, a three-pointed spearhead over its snout. It darted across the field and pierced directly through Lucy.

Lucy 700 – 800 = 0: Cary 6700.

Cary clenched her fist excitedly as the field wiped clear and Lucy's Duel Disk shut down. She was in great shape to win a second duel and give her team the lead… and improve her reputation simultaneously, but that was really just a bonus behind winning the tournament.

* * *

"Aw, I was really hoping to last longer than that," Lucy moaned playfully. She looked at Numbers and said, "You think I gave you a good enough hand advantage?"

Numbers nodded. "Let's face it; the advantage is generally nullified by the presence of monsters in the Graveyard. You know how many of those Dragunity cards pull other Dragunity cards from the Graveyard?"

"That's a good point," Lucy said sheepishly. "I forget. Did we realize that when we came up this survival duel idea?"

"We did, but we decided the challenge was worth it," Numbers smiled as she climbed the stairs to the stadium. Cary was already up there with an expression like she was ready to pounce. Numbers knew she was in for a challenge right here.

"You better get that lockdown strategy in place right away," Cary warned. "I'm ready to open a can of OTK whup-ass to take you and Bryan down myself."

"Let's see if it works out for you." Numbers drew her hand and started playing cards immediately. "I'll start with Hand Destruction." A short samurai with a round, yellow head appeared on the field and performed a powerful spinning slash; the shockwave cut two cards from each player's hands. Numbers mumbled, "No. Still not enough. I'll play Magical Mallet." A cartoonish, red mallet with small wings on the sides floated on the field for a moment, and then it somersaulted directly onto Numbers's deck. "It lets me shuffle a bunch of cards back into my deck and draw new ones." She did so and nodded. "Okay. Now I'll set a monster."

"Beautiful," Cary spoke with confidence and zeal intertwined. "I'll summon Dragunity Dux (4/1500/1000)." Cary's dragon rider wore white robes and had almost mechanical wings on his back. Suddenly a red dragon wearing silver armor wrapped around Dux's arm. "Summoning Dux lets me play a low-level Dragunity monster from my Graveyard as equipment. I like Aklys."

"Anything to destroy my cards, right?"

"Indeed. And for each Dragunity monster on the field, Dux (+1900) gains 200 points." Dux attacked using a ribbon-like cat-of-nine-tails. The many whips slapped across the field and sliced the Mystic Tomato (4/1400/1100).

"Tough break. Now I can summon Sangan (3/1000/600)." The critter that emerged from the split tomato had only a torso for a body, with four stubby limbs as usual and three big eyes.

"There's a big surprise," Cary commented. "I'll set a card and end my turn."

This duel was as much psychological as it was holographic. Even though Numbers had a powerful, proven strategy at her disposal, Cary knew the strategy well and would go to great lengths to see it upended. There were many cards, in fact, that could prevent a Yata-Garasu Lockdown, and that facedown card may well be one of them.

"I'll activate Cold Wave." A sheet of ice spread across the field, freezing all Spells and Traps to the ground or a player's hand. But Cary's card already stood face-up by the time the ice reached it, and three toga-clad women kept the ice away.

"Waboku will protect my Life Points until the End Phase of the turn."

Numbers nodded. "That's pretty much brilliant. I guess what I'll do for now is set another monster and put Sangan in defense mode."

Cary was eager to get her strategy underway. Every turn she let Numbers have was another turn she was likely to lose. Fortunately, she had the cards she needed.

"I'll summon Dragunity Phalanx (2/500/1100)." This time, it was a blue dragon wearing copper-colored armor along its belly, wings, and head. It stood on the field and flexed every muscle in its well-toned arms. "And by Tributing Phalanx, I can summon Dragunity Arma Mystletainn (6/2100/1500)." Like her previous Dragunity Arma monster, this golden dragon was tall and powerful, bearing a Norse sword in its hands. Phalanx suddenly appeared back on the field and wrapped itself around Mystletainn's arm like a two-pronged wrist claw. "And now I'll trade Mystletainn for Leyvaten (2600)."

The golden dragon shared its energy with Phalanx for a moment and disappeared from the field, dropping Phalanx back into the Graveyard. The exact spot Mystletainn disappeared was instantaneously refilled by an orange dragon, and the size of the sword it wielded grew. Once again, Phalanx appeared around Leyvaten's forearm.

"That's a lot of shuffling. Are you sure you know what you're doing?"

"Don't worry about me," Cary said. "When Phalanx is equipped to a Dragunity monster, it can summon itself to the field." Phalanx disconnected from Leyvaten's arm and stood alone on the field once again. "And now, Phalanx (2) and Leyvaten (8) will tune together." Phalanx settled on Leyvaten's back, and its long horns began to resonate like a tuning fork. The sound waves caused each monster to fall apart at a cellular level and rebuild into a single entity—one with red dragon scales, three heads, and a wingspan the length of the field.

"Trident Dragion (10/3000/2800)," Numbers noted. "Now _that's_ an OTK monster."

"I agree. And when it's summoned, Trident Dragion consumes two of my cards in order to gain two additional attacks this turn." Two heads of the dragon bit into Dragunity Dux and Dragunity Aklys and absorbed their energies. But when its body disappeared, Aklys's armor shot across the field and struck the facedown monster on Numbers's field. "When Aklys is sent to the Graveyard as an Equip Card, it destroys a card on the field." She checked her Duel Disk information in order to search Numbers's Graveyard. "Newdoria? That would have been really bad for me."

"If only."

Cary laughed. "Sorry. You can't blame me for my excitement. I'm coming up on defeating two of the school's best duelists with just one deck here. Anyway, not to delay any further, I'll attack Sangan (600), and then attack with two direct hits."

Trident Dragion (3000) released three consecutive streams of plasma straight across the field. The stadium's Solid Vision raised the temperature significantly to support the feeling of spectator involvement, but it fortunately stopped well short of solar flare levels.

Cary just grinned. "That ends my turn."

Numbers 8000 – 3000 – 3000 = 2000: Cary 6700.

"That was so very, very close," Numbers admitted. "If you had a full hand when we started, you might be able to win after all. But as it stands, this duel is mine. I'll play Premature Burial to summon Sangan (1000). And by removing Shining Angel, Giant Germ, and both Newdoria from play, I can summon Sky Scourge Noreleras (8/2400/1500)." The stadium shook violently as a big fiend grew from a hole in the floor, showing only its torso covered with spikes and bandages.

"You're going to leave yourself in a big hole against Matt," Cary commented, hoping to psych Numbers out one way or another.

"Sure. I pay 1000 Life Points to activate Norleras's effect." Norleras slammed his bandaged hands on the ground, and the darkness spread from his body. It slowly consumed everything on the field—itself included. "But before it destroys my hand, I'll chain Mystic Wok and Tribute Norleras." A giant skillet—a wok—appeared on the field with Norleras on the surface. Flames burst all around the wok until Norleras disappeared and turned into steam, which descended upon Numbers and gave her LP equal to Norleras's attack points. The darkness spread to both duelists for a moment and finally faded via a vacuum into the Graveyard.

"Now that neither of us has a card on our fields or in our hands—except these two, of course…" Numbers pointed out that Norleras's effect let her draw one card, but more importantly, Sangan let her grab Yata-Garasu from her deck. "I'll summon Yata-Garasu (2/200/100)." A small, black raven with three legs fluttered to the field and perched itself in front of Cary. "Let's attack." The raven flew forward slowly and bit into Cary; the impact wasn't much but the spiritual energy associated sent a wave of shadow over Cary's Duel Disk. "That will end my turn." With that, Yata-Garasu flew off the field and back into Numbers's hand.

Numbers 2000 – 800 – 1000 + 2400 = 2600: Cary 6700 – 200 = 6500.

"Let me consider my turn very carefully," Cary commented dryly. Yata-Garasu forced her to skip her Draw Phase after Norleras discarded her hand. She was looking at imaginary cards. "No, I think I'll save that strategy for later. I think I'll just end my turn now."

"Good decision. I'm going to summon Yata-Garasu (200) again." The three-legged raven descended again and once more bit into Cary. This process repeated three more times before something changed. On the fourth time, Numbers also set one card.

Numbers 2600: Cary 5700.

"You'd better be careful or you'll run out of cards," Cary warned. "That won't help against Matt."

"I'm not deluded enough to think Matt can't beat me for 2600 points, either. I won't run out of cards, but I want to give myself a fighting chance." And still, for four more turns, Numbers attacked only with Yata-Garasu, always drawing a card at her turn's start and discarding at its end.

Numbers 2600: Cary 4900.

"This should speed things up tremendously," Numbers commented. "By removing Sangan and Shining Angel from play, I can summon Chaos Emperor Dragon – Envoy of the End (8/3000/2500)." Arguably the biggest and most dangerous of the chaos monsters, this was an enormous, green-scaled dragon wearing gold armor around its joints and wings. Its mane shone like a blazing fire as it roared.

"Isn't that your big trump card? Why waste that against me? You should save it for Matt."

"I'll worry about Matt. You worry about Yata-Garasu (200)." The three-legged raven appeared once again—tiny in comparison with the emerald dragon. After Yata bit Cary, the Chaos Emperor Dragon released a powerful stream of white fire in a second direct attack.

Numbers 2600: Cary 4900 – 200 – 3000 = 1700.

And on Numbers's next turn, she finally ended the duel with Chaos Emperor Dragon on the field and Yata-Garasu in her hand.

Numbers 2600: Cary 1700 – 3000 = 0.

Ending the duel between these two duelists, the system wiped the field and sent everything currently in play to the Graveyard; Numbers lost her Chaos Emperor Dragon that way. "You've still got Yata with you," Cary noted. "And both of your field-cleaners are in the Graveyard."

"Monster Reincarnation, A Feather of the Phoenix… They can't be summoned from the Graveyard, but there are plenty of cards that can bring either one of them back into the game. Do you want me to name some more?"

Cary shook her head. "No. Good luck, though. You'll need it."

She and Numbers shook hands, and Cary left the arena. With the two most powerful members of Team Lockdown remaining, Team OTK just had one man left to fight back. As she approached the wings where her teammates gave Matt some last minute encouragement, Cary got right up in his face so that he could see nothing but the fire in her eyes.

He expressed confusion. "You're not going to kiss me, are you?" he asked.

"You better take them both down or else I will make your life a living hell." With that, she walked past him with the goal of sitting down and trying not to let her yellow-clad teammate stress her out too much with his Rocky-style dueling.

Matt called after her, "Are you going to kiss me or not?" with no response. He just shrugged and told his teammates. "You guys are about to see something real special."

* * *

"Superhuman strength, long claws at the tip of each finger, thick skin, nearly immortal, and fully amphibious," Logan uttered spookily.

"No, she isn't," Hayley replied. "Well, not that last part, anyway."

They discussed the appearance of Linda Locklear, easily the most feared associate professor at Duel Academy. She was enough to make any regular student wet his pants without that student having to suffer being her son. Linear Locklear did not do well with constant comparisons to his mother, and his sister Leila got really annoyed with all the alliteration jokes.

"It doesn't matter if you have friends in this series," Dr. Locklear berated Linear.

Linear Locklear was a small guy with long, platinum blond hair and a sullen scowl pretty much plastered on his face. (Logan suspected he held that face for too long when he was a kid and that's how it got stuck that way.) He wasn't well known for his social capacity. His twin sister Leila was much better at communicating with other people, and that was often why she was spared her mother's lectures.

"Even if these duelists were your bitter rivals, you should watch every duel, learn every card in their decks, and devise plans to defeat them. How else do you expect to become a champion duelist?"

"They aren't my rivals," Linear mumbled. "I couldn't care less about them."

"And that attitude is exactly why you remain at the bottom of the Yellow Dorm instead of soaring in the Blue Mansion."

"Matt's ranked the lowest in my dorm, but everyone assumes he's good."

"That's because Matthew Luther has proven himself internationally and simply fallen prey to bureaucratic nonsense. Only the people outside of this school are unaware of his skill." She huffed. "Perhaps you and he were switched at birth. By the time I was your age, I already won two national titles. You need to get your head into the game and think about why you're here." With those encouraging words, Dr. Locklear gave her only son the cold shoulder and walked away.

Logan laughed mockingly as he approached Linear and clapped his hand on the shorter guy's shoulder. "That was really cold. I'm sorry, girl."

"I'm a _guy_!" Linear snapped.

Logan was surprised to hear that. He leaned back to get a better look at Linear's body shape. "Sorry, dude. It's the hips that fool me."

"We know," Leila groaned. "You always say that. Do you have anterograde amnesia or something?"

"Is that the thing Guy Pearce had in _Memento_?" Vic asked. With a grin, he added, "That was an awesome movie."

Hayley laughed incredulously. "Oh, come on. Awesome? You didn't even get it. We had to watch the DVD special feature where they play the scenes of the movie in chronological order, and even then I had to explain it to you."

"And then it was awesome," Vic recovered. He realized the conversation wasn't cheering Linear up at all, and so he decided to come to the guy's defense a bit. "Dude, your mom is a total monster."

"That's your mom?" Logan asked mockingly. "I thought she was that scary Russian who fought Rocky."

Hayley made a face. "Dolph Lundgren isn't Russian; he's Swedish. And do not mock the Swedes. The Swedes will not be trifled with." She held her finger in Logan's face until her false anger confused him enough to make him back off.

"I don't really like dueling for fun," Linear finally grumbled. Everyone turned to look at him as if he would say something profound. "It's just a dumb game. I can't believe people get paid for it."

"I wish I could get paid," Vic said. "Building a sanctioned team is harder than I thought. I wish it were as easy as just getting a bunch of people together and dueling on our own terms."

Logan flexed his arms, visible beyond his sleeveless jacket. "_That's_ your big wish? I wish there were fewer nerds at this school and more people who want to fight. Or at the very least, someone who can take a punch or two."

Somehow, that insight struck a chord with Vic. His eyes widened and he held his breath while the hamster began spinning the wheel.

"Are you okay?" Hayley asked, recognizing when Vic has an idea. "Has lightning struck your brain or something?"

Vic finally clapped his hands together. "I've just got a killer idea about how we can duel and make money without stupid bureaucracy. All we have to do is find someplace no one ever goes, and make friends with a few 'select' citizens in Kazuki."

With a big grin, Logan rubbed his hands together. "This sounds like my kind of plan."

* * *

"Are you ready to rock?" Matt asked Numbers.

She just smiled with the nonchalant expression she'd learned to use whenever he said something nonsensical. "Yes, I am."

Suddenly looking less enthused, Matt asked, "Could you teach me how?" She just groaned, unable to believe she didn't see that coming.

"I've never been a big fan of going first," Matt admitted. "I'll play Armageddon Knight (4/1400/1200), and doing so lets me send a dark monster from my deck to the Graveyard." Right in front of Matt appeared a man clad in iron armor, bearing a saber in one arm and a wire shield in the other, wearing aviator goggles over his eyes and shielding his face with a torn scarf. The Armageddon Knight swiped his saber across Matt's Duel Disk and sent a monster card straight to the Graveyard.

"Is that all?" Numbers asked with shock when her Duel Disk lit up. "I expected to see a Cyber Dragon or two."

"I play my cards closer to the vest than that, thank you."

"I suppose. It's almost a shame to have to ruin your carefully guarded secrets, then. First, I'll play Pigeonholing Books of Spell." Three red, leather-bound spell books appeared on her field, surrounded by a double-ring force field. Each book opened in turn, allowing Numbers to look at her deck's top cards. "I get to check my top three cards and put them back in the order of my choosing." She didn't take long deciding; in fact, Matt worried about how little time she spent considering the order. "Now I'll play Double Summon and gain two Normal Summons for this turn."

"Yikes," Matt replied dryly.

"And for the first one, I'll play Phantom of Chaos (4/0/0)." What appeared on Numbers's field was difficult to describe because it had no distinct form. It was a swirling mist of shadow, almost like a living organism just struggling to determine its evolution. "By removing Norleras from my Graveyard from play, Phantom of Chaos (+2400) gains its attack and ability." Having its evolution decided, the mist slowly began to take a shape—the shape of a fiend whose skin was coated in spikes and bandages.

"Wow. So you are going to wipe the field three times with that deck. That's got to be somewhat disheartening that doing so is even necessary. You've got to give credit to Cary for holding you back so well."

"And I don't expect you to be a pushover, either," Numbers admitted. "But you're going to have to do it without a hand. By paying 1000 Life Points, Phantom Norleras wipes the field and our hands straight to the Graveyard." The Phantom burst into a shadowy mist again, but this time with a corrosive intensity; it spread across the field and smothered both duelists. Both the Phantom and Armageddon Knight were gone, but Numbers got to draw one extra card.

"Here's where that Double Summon comes in handy," Matt wagered.

"Exactly. I'll summon Gravity Behemoth (6/2300/2000)." The beast that stomped slowly onto the field, shaking the ground with each heavy step, was an enormous, white quadruped that stood twice as tall as Matt if he stood on Bryan's shoulders. With huge teeth, glowing eyes, and heavy horns, this Behemoth was a fearsome sight. "Do you know why I get to summon it without Tributes?"

"Because it's only Level 6."

Numbers had to stop and analyze Matt's comment before she understood why he would make such a deceptively intelligent comment. Remembering that Matt could sometimes be a grammar junky, she reworded her question: "Do you know why I don't need _one_ Tribute for him?"

"I'd guess it's an effect. Or your Duel Disk is malfunctioning. Am I close?"

"With the former. There are no cards on the field and it isn't the first turn, so I get to summon Gravity Behemoth without Tributes."

"You're probably the only person at this school who could effectively use such a monster. Most of us would struggle with the annoying 'no cards on the field' part, but you spend three times a duel like that."

"Thanks. You haven't distracted me well enough to make me forget to attack, though." The Behemoth charged forward and holographically gored Matt as the duelist clenched his fist and feigned frustration. "Let's see if you can defend yourself."

Numbers 2600 – 1000 = 1600: Matt 8000 – 2300 = 5700.

"Not without a card," Matt replied. And then he drew.

Watching the duel intently from the wings, Bryan could swear he felt a breeze blow through the stadium at exactly that moment. Something about it felt mystical—almost supernatural…

"Maybe now I can. I'll play Monster Reborn and summon Darklord Superbia (8/2900/2400)." The fallen angel Matt summoned to his field appeared as a living black chalice; with a winged cup as its torso, a crystalline base, and a red face on the side, it gave off an ethereal air. "When he's summoned from the Graveyard, I get to summon another fairy—Hecatrice (4/1500/1100)." The second fairy was much more lustrous, resembling a golden idol with wings and no limbs. "Now seems like a good time to attack." Superbia collected energy into its gourd momentarily and then allowed it to burst into the air, mindfully redirecting the energy straight toward the towering Behemoth (2300). Hecatrice's luster grew as the light grew brighter and hotter, ultimately searing through Numbers's LP directly.

Numbers 1600 – 600 – 1500 = 0: Matt 5700.

* * *

Bryan glared at Matt from a distance. "Darklords… Fallen Angels. Appropriate."

He heard Lucy say, "Matt looks as strong as ever."

"Matt only deserves some of the credit." Lucy assumed he was referring to the fact that Bryan taught Matt the game, but that's because Bryan didn't tell her about the divine spirit that lived within Matt's body and gave him power. That spirit was the only reason Matt was able to do the things he could—defeating the Egyptian Gods and then the Wicked Gods to survive the Shadow Realm…

"It's time to see who the real King of Games is."

* * *

_Finally. So there were fewer social interactions than I hoped for, but at least the duels were fun to write. One more duel and this filler survival series will come to a close. This will answer the big question - who is the better duelist? And how long will it be until the pressure to be the best breaks one of them?_

_I can't promise a consistent schedule of updating right now. Life has gotten hectic and I'm struggling to balance all the things I want to do with all the things I need to do. I can promise that I'm still working on updates when I get some time and when I'm struck with inspiration. I thought about doing Script Frenzy-that Internet thing where you write an entire screenplay in a month-but that would be another month without updating this and in which all my free time is consumed with trying to get in the mindset of writing a screenplay, which is a very different challenge from writing a novel. (That's code for: I plan to try it in the near future if anyone wants to suggest a plot.)_

_As always, I appreciate feedback and suggestions for improvement._ _(Does anyone know of a different way to create section breaks that the autoformat on this site _won't_ automatically delete when I upload it? It would be nice to have a separate style of break between the story and my afterthoughts.)_

_Credits:_  
_Darius Mantzios...tiramisu19_  
_Jason Maxim...Maxim and Knight_  
_Nathan Zislaw...Mavrik Zero_  
_Hillary Delaney...Nodqfan144_  
_Lili Von...Happy2BMe_  
_Carter Jade...Jaden2010  
Mitsuro Itachu...Titanic X  
Sean Bivins...DarkVestroia2_  
_Ivy Roaks...Mental Panda_  
_Naoto Kurotsuki...Kurotsuki Haru_  
_Hayley Wilson...TeamRocketDiva_  
_Maikeru Stone...onyxshade7  
Victor Rocks & Abel Shinzou...Iron-Arm-V_  
_Alister Kazama & Jessica Parks...ZaneKazama001_  
_Synthia Spencer...Madly Chessur_  
_Leila & Linear Lockhart...Windraider__  
Logan Wilson...MercWithTheMouth13_  
_Allen Tebaro...Nouva17  
Tai Ishihara...ZAFT Prime_  
_Everyone else so far...YamiRuss_


	7. Two in a Row

_(Note: I still have room in the near future for OCs. See below.)_

* * *

Chapter 7: Two in a Row

An entire series of duels, pitting member after member of Duel Academy's leading duel teams against one another, culminated in a match between the two top-level duelists in the school, though one would never know by the colors of their jackets. Matt wore a yellow jacket, representative of the fact that he currently held the lowest upperclassman rank in the school, and Bryan wore a black, leather jacket, which didn't represent anything.

Dr. West and the spectators were too excited about the coming duel to notice that Bryan hid a scowl whenever he looked at Matt.

"One on one, right?" he grumbled to Matt as they shook hands.

"Indeed. And with no hand, I look forward to the biggest challenge I've ever had."

"Then you can also look forward to your first public loss," Bryan suggested emphatically. "I'll set a monster and end my turn."

Matt was surprised, considering the intensity of Bryan's words. "That's all?"

"You still have to draw something worth playing. I'm not taking a big risk here."

"That's probably true," Matt chuckled, trying to lighten the mood. He hummed. "Looks like a decent card. I'll summon Mystic Tomato (4/1400/1100)." A fruit out of _Attack of the Killer Tomatoes_ appeared on the field and licked its impressive teeth at Bryan's monster. "And just for fun, I'll attack." The Tomato hopped across the field and bit through a humanoid with a skeletal body clouded by a deep red cloak.

"You destroyed Phantom Magician (3/600/700)," Bryan pointed out. "Do you know what it does?"

"No."

Bryan just grinned. This was his big advantage. Matt was terrible at remembering card effects, and Bryan put some extra cards in his deck that Matt never saw before. And instead of sharing his monster's searching effect, he simply summoned Elemental Hero Knospe (3/600/1000) to his field. A flower bud sprouted on the field in front of him, and it almost immediately bloomed into a bipedal plant bud with fronds for feet, buds for hands and a head, and two more fronds off its back like a scarf.

"I know that card," Matt commented.

"But you don't know what I'm going to do with it," Bryan pointed out. He jumped to his turn because Matt had no cards to play. "I'll summon Twilight Rose Knight (3/1000/1000), and with it summon a second Elemental Hero Knospe (600)." His knight was a short woman with dark, well-kempt armor. She held her short sword in front of her as a rallying cry, and a second bud bloomed along Bryan's field.

"Not bad," Matt commented. "Two monsters who can attack directly."

"Just one," Bryan corrected him. With a grin, he placed another Spell in his Duel Disk and drew Knospe back into a bud. "I'll play Rose Bud. It turns Elemental Hero Knospe into Elemental Hero Poison Rose (6/1900/2000)." Knospe's bud bloomed very suddenly and brightly, and from its flower sprouted a woman with floral hair and frond-like clothing.

Matt put on a big smile. "Oh, yes. I see. Poison Rose's effect says I can only direct an attack at her, and the Rose Knight's effect says I can't target a plant monster. I guess that means as long as you keep them both on the field, I can't attack at all. That's an excellent lockdown strategy, especially against me. I don't run a lot of direct damage cards."

"I noticed. Even with your new deck." Immediately, Poison Rose waved her arm in a grandiose manner, and a mist of purple spores spread from her body. As the spores covered Matt's Tomato (1400), it turned purple, ashen, and necrotic, finally fading completely.

"Per the Mystic Tomato's effect, I'll summon Sangan (3/1000/600)." The wilted tomato skin revealed an orange, three-eyed critter whose limbs grew directly from its head; it had no torso. It simply grinned at Bryan's other monsters.

Again without a word from Bryan, Knospe disappeared underground, unseen until a large bud sprouted in front of Matt and spat a small cloud of poison at him. The bud withdrew into the dirt and a Bugs Bunny-style molehill traversed the field back to Bryan's side. "I'll set one card," Bryan finished.

Bryan 8000: Matt 5700 – 500 – 600 = 4600.

Matt drew, but he had only one card in his hand. "You always did like a challenge, Bro," he told his best friend. "And that's exactly what you're giving me. All I can do now is put Sangan (600) in defense mode."

"I'll play Elemental Hero Heat (4/+2200/1200)." A tall, muscular Hero, dressed in a form-fitting red, yellow, and white jester's suit, appeared on the field and flexed his muscles, gaining 200 points for every Hero out there. "I've got enough attack points here to end this duel." First, Knospe (+700/-500), having grown stronger after the previous attack, repeated the Bugs Bunny impression as it attacked Matt directly once more. "Now let's remove Sangan (600)." Twilight Rose Knight (1000) leaped forward and slashed through the critter with a single swipe.

As Sangan allowed its owner to retrieve a monster with 1500 or fewer attack points, Matt decided, "I'll take Battle Fader (0)."

Bryan sighed. "Well, let's see it then. I'll attack with Elemental Hero Heat (2200)." As the jester-like Hero leaped over the field and landed a heavy punch with his arm soaked in flames, Matt surprised Bryan by allowing the direct attack.

"I've got something better," Matt informed him. "Taking direct damage while I have nothing on the field means I can summon Gorz the Emissary of Darkness (7/2700/2500)!" As the haze from Heat's fist faded, it revealed a warrior wearing black armor and red bases, and wielding a sword as tall as himself on his hip. His armor was bladed at the wrists and shoulders, and his helmet was a mere armored visor that couldn't contain his wildfire hair. Beside him, a second warrior appeared, but he lacked a sword and the blades on his armor were smaller. "Because you hurt me with a direct attack, Gorz brings with him an Emissary of Darkness Token (7/+2200/+2200) with points equal to the damage you just dealt me."

Bryan growled at the field, not so much for stumbling, but for failing to see Matt's strategy coming. It was like Matt wasn't dueling of his own accord… like he was getting help. And so much energy emanated from his side of the field.

"You have a good defense there," Bryan admitted, "but you still can't fight back with my lockdown in place. Especially if I activate this card." When he placed a Spell on the field, a powerful bolt of lightning struck Matt's field and instantly incinerated both his monsters.

"Raigeki?" Matt asked. "Even I know that card. That's been pretty much banned since Day 1. So why did your Duel Disk even recognize it?"

"Think of it like a closeout sale. For one day and one day only, this special card was able to be used in a public venue. And thanks to its power, you are left completely powerless."

Bryan 8000: Matt 4600 – 700 – 2200 = 1700.

* * *

In the IT room where technicians maintained the Solid Vision system during the duel, the senior programmer turned to his younger associate and asked how Bryan was able to play Raigeki. As far as he knew, the card was still banned and shouldn't be recognized unless an IT technician changed the code.

The only thing—well, pair of things—the tech could think of belonged to a voluptuous woman wearing a leather bodysuit, zipped down just enough to run his imagination wild. Her red hair matched her lipstick when she planted one on him, and in his love-struck trance, he showed her how simple it was to hack the Kaiba Corp. system from the inside and alter the banned cards list. No one would ever come to realize that Flying Fish was currently banned.

* * *

Matt drew and couldn't stop a smirk from crawling across his face. "Unless I get an OTK."

"Just try it," Bryan muttered. He had Hero Ring set. Even if Matt managed to destroy Poison Rose and end the Lockdown, Hero Ring would equip to Twilight Rose Knight and prevent any attacks against her; her effect would still prevent attacks against plants, meaning only Hero Heat would be at risk. The odds of an OTK in this situation…

"I'll summon The Dark Creator (8/2300/3000)." Lightning struck Matt's field again, but this one was a black bolt that took the shape of an armored angel. His glass-like wings spread with the lightning that jolted from the full body of dark armor.

"Another fallen angel," Bryan noted.

"With five dark monsters in my Graveyard, The Dark Creator doesn't need Tributes to summon. But by removing one from play, I can summon Darklord Superbia (8/2900/2400)," a living black chalice with a winged cup as its torso, a crystalline base, and a red face on the side.

'_That's the card he used to beat Numbers,'_ Bryan remembered.

"When Superbia is summoned, I can summon another fairy from my Graveyard, and this time I choose Darklord Zerato (8/2800/2300)." Descending from up high, a fallen angel with red, bat-like wings on his back, blue horns on his head, a body as muscular as _David_, and a sword like an enormous shark tooth. Matt held the Battle Fader between his fingers so Bryan could see it. "By discarding one dark monster, Darklord Zerato instantly destroys all monsters on your side of the field." Dark energy filled the air around the giant sword, and one powerful swing sent a blade of dark energy sharp enough to split all of Bryan's monsters instantly in half.

Bryan could hardly believe that Matt owned a card with such an effect. He claimed to spend the entire summer avoiding Duel Monsters, but somehow he ended up with a deck more powerful than he ever had before. There was no way Matt could do that by himself!

"Tell me, Bro. Is your facedown card a Mirror Force?" Matt could tell from the way Bryan tried to force a smirk: "I thought not. In that case, I'll attack with all three of my monsters!" The Dark Creator (2300) released a surge of electricity from its hands, Darklord Superbia (2900) drew energy into its chalice and released the focus directly at Bryan like a cannon, and Darklord Zerato (2800) swing his sword once more in a vertical slash.

Bryan 8000 – 2300 – 2900 – 2800 = 0: Matt 1700.

The flood of cheers directed at both teams for an impressive and well played series was unfortunately tempered by groans of disbelief from people who bet on the losing team or the losing duelist. Bryan's disappointment was impossible to hide even as Dr. West showed off both him and Matt to the stadium's spectators. He glared at Matt from the corner of his eye.

"I felt the energy flow," he grumbled so only Matt could hear. "You had help."

"What? Honestly, Bro. I don't even know _how_ to share…"

"Save it. You awakened a god in order to beat me, so I'll just find a devil to bring him down."

* * *

Bryan just needed a walk. The night air might help clear his head. He really wanted to believe that his sworn brother wouldn't cheat him like that, but he just couldn't help it. The odds were so long against Matt that something just _had_ to be rigged. He even used one of the cards so powerful that is wasn't seen in a public duel for more than thirty years. Yet for Matt to recover from that, there had to be something bigger at play.

"Cheating block of salt."

Bryan wandered away from campus. He wanted as little chance of seeing a classmate as possible right then, and given the size of the island, there weren't many places to escape. There was a fairly significant chance of running into someone out in Kazuki, but maybe if he wore a baseball cap and kept his head down, no one would notice him.

The city was pretty different at night. Despite being a college town, Kazuki was home to a college with a curfew, and that pretty well gave the city a curfew through association. Streets were lit by nothing more than the faint glow of street lamps and the shine of the moon. Each street Bryan turned onto was occupied by a maximum of three people, and Bryan was the only one moving around.

But even so, every step he took didn't bring him closer to forgiving and understanding his friend. Each time his feet rolled along the pavement, he felt angrier. He cheated in that duel—he knew he did—just to prove a point; Matt still won!

Growling, Bryan finally let loose and punched his right arm into a tree trunk. His solid arm shook the massive tree and left a quarter-inch indentation. He held his arm there and soaked in the pain, letting it permeate his body and fill him with endorphins. It felt good to hit something again. He really missed playing football right then. Flag football just wasn't cutting it.

Speaking of stimulation, he heard the footsteps of hard high heels on the street behind him. When he turned around, he saw the slender, overly-pierced form of Valerie Sheehan, the motorcycle mechanic Bryan dated for a brief period during the previous year. She was a looker, especially for any guy who like leather bodysuits with the zipper pulled pretty low, but that isn't what caught Bryan's attention. The smirk on her face meant she wanted something.

"Hi, Val. What are you doing out so late?"

"Looking for you, handsome," she spoke seductively. "And call me Lust."

He shook his head. "Sorry, but I'm not that depressed."

Feigning insult, she pouted. "Aw. You could really hurt a girl's feelings talking like that. That loss wasn't _that_ embarrassing."

"Leave me alone."

Instead, she stepped up to him and gently ran her fingers across his back, finishing by playing with his ear. "You look like you could use some cheering up, and I have the perfect way to do it." She purred in his ear, which he expected, but then she surprised him with the suggestion, "Let's have a duel."

He turned his head to see her eyes. "Why?"

"Because you still owe me one for giving you that card."

He huffed and pulled the Raigeki card from his deck. Handing it back to her, he said, "It didn't work, anyway."

"That's because you're just not strong enough yet. But we can change that through a duel."

He began chuckling almost uncontrollably. "Yeah, right. Because you're magic?"

"Something like that," she whispered. "What have you got to lose?"

He shook his head, but he cracked a grin. Val certainly amused him enough to duel. "Alright. One duel. But I left my Duel Disk with Lucy."

"That's fine," Val said as she produced a second Duel Disk from her bag. This one wasn't the newest model like Bryan's; it was an old Academy model from about two upgrades ago. When he asked where she got that, Val just smiled. "From an old boyfriend." Bryan had no trouble believing that story.

"I'll go first," Bryan decided as he pointedly drew his cards.

Val said with a sultry tone, "Ooo. I like it when a man takes charge."

Bryan was pleased with his opening hand. "I'll play Polymerization to fuse Avian and Heat into Elemental Hero Nova Master (8/2600/2100)." The Hero jester was encased by wings as the air around them drew inward like a vortex. What emerged was a taller Hero with powerful, red armor and a cape that billowed like flame. "That's all for now."

"Good. I'll activate Call of the Mummy." A wooden coffin appeared vertically on her side of the field. "With no monsters currently on my field, I can summon any zombie from my hand. I choose Burning Skull Head (3/1000/800)." The lid slid from the coffin on her field and produced a skull engulfed in flames. Purple lights—dim at first but with growing intensity—shone in the skull's eye holes. "When Special Summoned, this creature inflicts 1000 points of damage to you." The light from the skull's eyes burst, and a holographic flame ignited Bryan's chest. "I'll set one card and end my turn."

Bryan 8000 – 1000 = 7000: Lust 8000.

"That's a nice effect, but it's a weak card," Bryan decided.

Val smiled. "Admittedly, it's a far cry from the Darklords, but…"

That instantly quashed Bryan's smugness. The Darklords were all incredibly powerful monsters. They were much too good for Matt to chance upon them after running a deck of Kuribohs and Magical Scientist. But ultimately, whatever his cards, Matt ended up winning. That's the gift given by the spirit sealed inside him. And that's what Bryan needed to find a way to counter.

"Fair enough," Bryan accepted. "I'll summon Elemental Hero Flash (4/1100/1600)." His field showed a Hero with a blue, skin-tight costume marked by yellow bolts and a silver conduit on his back. "Flash will attack your Burning Skull Head (800)."

"I'll activate Relieve Monster," Val instantly replied. A blue spirit reached out from the cards in her hand and wrapped around her Burning Skull, pulling it back to her hand and tossing out a turtle with a cinderblock shell on its back and an Egyptian headdress upon its sage-like face. "It lets me replace Burning Skull Head with Pyramid Turtle (4/1200/1400)."

Bryan nodded. He hardly looked amused by the duel anymore. "Stronger than Flash, huh? Well, changing the monsters on the field triggers a Replay. I'll send Nova Master (2600) to attack instead." His warrior's arm burst into flame as he leaped across the field and shattered the shell on the Turtle's back, destroying it instantly. Bryan whipped one card up from his deck. "Nova Master's effect gives me a card each time he destroys a monster in battle."

"But Pyramid Turtle's effect gives me even more power," Val chuckled. "I can summon any zombie from my deck with 2000 or less defense. I'll summon Skull Flame (8/2600/2000)." From the shattered pieces of cinderblock appeared a mage-like spirit with no visible body—only blackness as if formed from the darkness itself. The mage's blue robes and red cape were capped by a bone crown and mantle, and by fire that covered its shoulders.

"A monster to match mine… In that case, I'll set a card and end my turn."

Val drew her next card without much reaction. "Once per turn, Skull Flame summons Burning Skull Head (800) from my hand." The flaming skull appeared on the field again, and again the purple lights from its eye ignited Bryan's chest. "That means another 1000 points of damage to you. I suppose I'll set a card now and end my turn."

Bryan 7000 – 1000 = 6000: Lust 8000.

"Here we go," Bryan said. "I'll play H – Heated Heart!" An H in the Hero font was engraved on Nova Master's (+3100) breastplate. "With an added 500 attack points, Nova Master can also inflict Piercing Damage for this turn." As he pointed out Burning Skull Head (800), he commented, "You want more power? Try this." When the H symbol became as fire, both of Nova Master's arms burst into flame. The intensity of his flame lent him additional strength as he crushed the Burning Skull Head with his fist. "How was that?"

"Boring," Valerie replied quickly.

Bryan 6000: Lust 8000 – 2300 = 5700.

Val shook her head. "You aren't playing at the same level you're known for. I guess I'll have to push you a little harder to see if you've still got it or if Matt crushed your spirit completely."

Bryan sneered as she played her cards.

"I choose to skip my Draw Phase and instead return Burning Skull Head to my hand. Skull Flame will further summon the Burning Skull Head (800) to my field." Her mage cast a spell that pulled Burning Skull Head to the field again, and the purple light ignited Bryan's chest. "You should have destroyed Skull Flame."

"I plan to," Bryan told her. "I just wanted to even the score first."

Val sighed. "A pointless effort that the old Bryan wouldn't have been suckered into. I'll activate Spiritual Fire Art – Kurenai." A red-haired, female spellcaster appeared on the field and cast a seal around the field. "This Trap lets me Tribute a fire monster on my field to inflict damage to you equal to my monster's original attack points." The magician's seal closed around Skull Flame, and the result was explosion into a dozen, raining, flaming bones that holographically pelted Bryan.

"Your own monster?"

With an irritated nod, Val said, "Of course. If you destroyed Skull Flame for me, I wouldn't have to do it myself. By removing Skull Flame from play, I summon Supersonic Skull Flame (10/2600/2000)." The flaming mage reappeared, but this time, it evolved to appear as a centaur. With its lower torso appearing half equine, the monster's skeletal body was more obvious. "This is my trump card," she informed him. "This card will be the one to destroy you."

Bryan 6000 – 1000 – 2600 = 2400: Lust 5700.

Bryan gazed at the top of his deck and wondered about Valerie's words. _'Am I really losing my touch? Am I so focused on expecting Matt to cheat that I wasn't able to play my full ability?'_ He placed his fingers gently on his deck.

"You must not think about how to defeat a duelist," a smooth, male voice spoke. Bryan searched for a source to find only a thin man with light hair shining in the moonlight. "You must instead see your opponent as a god."

"What?"

The man who spoke had long, silver hair that was outshone by his white eyes, shimmering brightly. He was much smaller in stature than Bryan, and his clothes were simple: a white, sleeved shirt buttoned up the middle with no collar on top; white pants that were seamless; and white shoes that were perfectly rounded without laces or straps.

"Do you know who I am?" the man asked.

Bryan huffed. "You look like a ghost."

The man chuckled softly. "You are not the first to describe me with such a word."

"Great. So now I'm just like everyone else."

"But you are not. You have deep potential, young Knight. You only lack power."

Bryan laughed off that ridiculous comment. "Yeah, yeah. Power helps a lot during a _card game_!"

"You dismiss the presence of power within yourself, but you recognize it within your friend?" The man stepped closer to Valerie and shook his head. "There can be no wonder your own power falls short of its goal." He stepped directly behind Valerie and placed his hands on both her shoulders, leaning his head just over her left side. "Do you not feel the power possessed by this temple? Can you not tell that Lust is made stronger by an energy not derived on this Earth?"

Confused yet curious, Bryan narrowed his eyes at Valerie and tried to see her the same way he saw Matt. She appeared normal enough, for a woman with so many piercings and tattoos, but there was something in the air around her. Maybe it was the night playing tricks with his eyes, but slowly and with focus, Bryan discovered the air of darkness flowing through and around Valerie's body.

Ghost saw the recognition in his eyes. "There is a simple way to achieve such energy," he announced to Bryan. Clenching his hand into a fist, he declared, "You must take it! Win this duel and obtain the power Lust now uses against you. It is the way to propel you far beyond your divine friend."

Perhaps it was grief that weakened Bryan's senses or perhaps Ghost himself laid some influence upon Bryan's will, but the top-ranked duelist found himself feeling desire well upon within him—not for Valerie's body, but for the power the had within her. It felt so similar to the shadows that once gave Bryan and his Sacred Beast the power to duel Matt to a tie. If that power coupled with the growth he made over the past year… he would crush Matt!

"A Catch-22, huh? In order to take her power, I have to be better than her power, which then leads me to wonder why I'd need it."

Ghost grinned. He could almost feel Bryan's growing desire. "For a capable vessel, power is additive and may well be unlimited."

Bryan nodded. "I guess we'll see about that. I'll summon Elemental Hero Knospe (3/600/1000)!" A flower bud sprouted on the field in front of him, and it almost immediately bloomed into a bipedal plant bud with fronds for feet, buds for hands and a head, and two more fronds off its back like a scarf.

Val huffed. "That's a pretty weak monster for you to plan to take my power with it."

"I know. But when there's another Hero on my field, Knospe gets to declare a direct attack." Knospe disappeared underground, unseen until a large bud sprouted in front of Val and spat a small cloud of poison at her. The bud withdrew into the dirt and a Bugs Bunny-style molehill traversed the field back to Bryan's side. "I'll set one card and end my turn."

Bryan 2400: Lust 5700 – 600 = 5100.

"Nothing excites me more than knowing I excite you," Val assured Bryan, "but don't think I'll make it easy. I'll activate Painful Choice." As she pulled five cards from her deck, Bryan made a face.

"I'm pretty sure that card is currently banned according to Kaiba Corp Gaming. Did you seduce the duel tech to play that card, too?"

"Oh, no," she whispered seductively. "This is just some of the power I gain from the Shadows." She showed Bryan five cards through her Duel Disk: two Burning Skull Heads, two Skull Flames, and Pyramid Turtle. Bryan huffed and allowed her to keep Skull Flame. A soldier equipped with basic, shabby armor appeared on the field, pointed to Skull Flame with his right hand and dismissed the other cards with his left. "Skull Flame comes to my hand. And I'll activate Supersonic Skull Flame's effect." The centaur looked to Bryan, its eyes flashed with purple lights, and three streams of fire blew from the centaur across Bryan's body. "For each Burning Skull Head in my Graveyard, you lose 400 Life Points. With one set monster, that will end my turn."

Bryan 2400 – 1200 = 1200: Lust 5100.

"I've got a power play to beat that one," Bryan said with a chortle. "I'll play Fusion Recovery to return Polymerization and Hero Heat to my hand. Then I'll activate Polymerization to fuse Flash and Knospe into Elemental Hero The Shining (8/2600/2100)." After a void of energy drew in both Heroes, the monster that appeared in a light shining brightly as the sun was a tall, confident Hero—dressed in white armor studded with red gems, wearing a golden crown that looked like mutton chops, and emitting light from a golden, eight-pointed halo that represented the energy supply on his back.

"It's still no stronger than my monster," Val pointed out.

"I only need him as a defense. I'll activate Limit Reverse!" As his Trap flipped up, a flower bloomed on his field and brought Knospe (600) to his side. "Not only does it revive my monster, but I'll play Inferno Reckless Summon to play two more Knospe from my deck." Two more flowers bloomed on his field and presented identical Hero plants.

Ghost hummed softly. "That's better. Normally Inferno Reckless Summon lets your opponent duplicate a monster on the field, too, but Supersonic Skull Flame can _only_ be summoned by its own effect; the Spell won't work for Lust. You do retain some of your former power, after all."

"And Light beats Shadow," Bryan pointed out, noting how brightly The Shining lit the area. "Finally, I'll summon Elemental Hero Heat (4/+2600/1200)." A Hero leaped onto the field wearing a tight bodysuit—red, yellow, and white like a flame—and somewhat resembling a court jester. "He gains 200 points for every Hero on the field. With another Hero on the field, each Knospe gets the chance to attack you directly.

"And I've done the math—those three will beat you faster than your three Skull Heads will beat me." All three plants withdrew into the dirt to emerge momentarily and spray poison clouds at Valerie. "Next, Heat will take down that monstrosity of yours." The super-powered jester propelled himself across the field and planted a heavy, powerful fist in the centaur's midsection. When the centaur exploded, bone fragments struck the Hero and destroyed it simultaneously. "And now, The Shining can hit you directly."

"I think not," Val argued. "When Supersonic Skull Flame is sent to the Graveyard, Skull Flame (2600) is summoned to replace him." The more humanoid version of her monster returned to the field, fire bursting from its skull.

"Your mage doesn't scare me," he informed her. "I still have The Shining (2600)." The light grew brighter from The Shining until it became like a stream of needles, pelting Skull Flame relentlessly. "That ends my turn."

Bryan 1200: Lust 5100 – 600 – 600 – 600 = 3300.

Val whipped her card from her deck, and the shadows surrounding her card became visible to Bryan. "You've already lost."

"You think? I'm a prominent member of Team Lockdown, and you don't think I'd set you up? Just look at my field." Three Knospe all stood side by side, ready to escape into the ground if attacked. "Each one can't be attacked if there's another Hero on the field. That means they protect each other, and they protect me. Now what?"

"I play Raigeki!"

Shadows swarmed the field, preceding the brilliant bolt of lightning that struck the field and incinerated Bryan's monsters instantly. Bryan gasped, unable to believe that a forbidden card he used just earlier that day—one that Matt overcame—now caused his defeat.

"I'll summon Flame Spirit Ignis (4/1500/1200)." Formed from the scant embers remaining on her side of the field, flame billowed in front of Val and took the shape of a fox—with a sharp, canine face and fire spouting atop its fur. Val huffed with annoyance. "Finish him." Ignis took in a deep breath and spewed a heavy, billowing stream of flame that clouded Bryan's field and turned his Life Points to ash.

Bryan 1200 – 1500 = 0: Lust 3300.

All of a sudden, Bryan felt his strength leave him. He fell to his haunches and felt sleep trying to wrest his consciousness from him. He felt these effects before; they were difficult to mistake. Val's victory drained what energy he had, and shadow energy threatened to overcome him in his weakness.

Ghost patted Val on her hand. "Well done, Lust." He knelt to the ground next to Bryan and placed his hand upon the shoulder of one who lost his second duel of the day.

"There is one other way to obtain vast power," he spoke, his voice filled with seductive confidence. "There is a cap on the amount of energy one temple can amass, and that is where the intensity of energy comes to import. Lust's purpose was to drain you of weak energy that currently fills your spirit. When your reserves run dry, I can provide you with energy of the highest quality."

From the Ghost's touch, Bryan felt his strength return. What flowed through him was different from his feeling earlier that day, and yet it was different from the last time his body was possessed by the shadows.

"It is only energy I share," Ghost informed him. "Whether power comes with it is a decision only you can make, my Pale Rider."

* * *

_I'm getting worse about updating, and I apologize for that. I have so much going on that it gets harder to focus on this story every day.  
_

_After two more chapters, I will begin the Thelemic Pantheon arc. I still have room for OCs if anyone wishes to submit one. All I require is a name, basic physical description, deck theme without god cards (including Aesir and Earthbound Immortals), reason for dueling, and typical personality during conflict and in good company._

_For the life of me, I couldn't come to a definitive conclusion whether two Knospes protecting one another from attack prevents the opponent from declaring a direct attack. A lot of people seem to believe it true, and there is some evidence to support that view, yet opposing evidence also exists. Magician's Valkyria, for example, can double up and prevent the opponent from attacking, but her effect prevents _other_ monsters from being attacked. The Legendary Fisherman is protected from attack with Umi on the field, but the opponent can bypass him to attack directly. Given these two types of effects (protecting oneself vs. protecting others), I would suspect that two Knospes do not stop the opponent from attacking. Unfortunately, I found no official ruling._  
_To avoid having to make that call myself, I just had Lust use Raigeki again._

_Credits:_  
_Darius Mantzios...tiramisu19_  
_Jason Maxim...Maxim and Knight_  
_Nathan Zislaw...Mavrik Zero_  
_Hillary Delaney...Nodqfan144_  
_Lili Von...Happy2BMe_  
_Carter Jade...Jaden2010  
Mitsuro Itachu...Titanic X  
Sean Bivins...DarkVestroia2_  
_Ivy Roaks...Mental Panda_  
_Naoto Kurotsuki...Kurotsuki Haru_  
_Hayley Wilson...TeamRocketDiva_  
_Maikeru Stone...onyxshade7  
Victor Rocks & Abel Shinzou...Iron-Arm-V_  
_Alister Kazama & Jessica Parks...ZaneKazama001_  
_Synthia Spencer...Madly Chessur_  
_Leila & Linear Lockhart...Windraider__  
Logan Wilson...MercWithTheMouth13_  
_Allen Tebaro...Nouva17  
Tai Ishihara...ZAFT Prime_  
_Everyone else so far...YamiRuss_


	8. A Fallen Hero Can Rise Again

Chapter 8: A Fallen Hero Can Rise Again

It was a warm day outside without a single cloud in the sky and almost zero wind effect. The conditions were as perfect as a jet pilot could ask for. Tai Ishihara longed to be in the sky again on a day like today, but even his scholarship wasn't enough to bring a fighter jet to Academy Island on a regular basis.

"This would be so much easier if I could check the island from the sky."

"I appreciate your thinking outside the box," Mitsuro Itachu told him, "but you still need work on subtlety."

Though she was a few years younger, Mitsuro was not only Tai's senior in terms of Duel Academy rank, she was also his senior in naval rank. She didn't believe in leading through intimidation or reproach, but through respect. Being aware of her age and inexperience, she rarely acted as if she knew the answers no one else knew. Tai typically responded by feeling free to voice a sometimes silly opinion, yet respecting Mitsuro's rank and views.

This particular day was warm enough that neither student wore their Duel Academy jackets. Mitsuro walked around in a navy tank top and white shorts with a green bandana over her hair while Tai wore a blue T-shirt and black jeans. In these clothes, they would be more difficult to identify if spotted from a distance—a trait made even more important by their presence at restricted areas.

The Medici Building was a five-story dormitory that was once the original site of the dormitory for the top students—back when it was called Obelisk Blue. The original design was simple and identical to the Red Dorm—a straight line three stories high. But after the dorm was abandoned for the mansion design, the CEO of Kaiba Corp realized the dorm could be renovated and turned into a rather spacious residence for visiting duelists. The building's new design was that of a plus sign, separating each floor of the building into four separate wings, which was often necessary depending on who the visiting duelists were and how much they hated each other.

The exterior of the building looked pristine, as it should considering its regular cleaning schedule and lack of recent visitors. Tai almost couldn't believe this building could be the source of any evil.

"Is this really the same as the Abandoned Dorm that's the setting of so many old Duel Academy horror stories?" He leaned back to gaze upon the entire face of the building. "I heard this was once the Blue Dorm and that a bunch of students disappeared shortly after it was opened."

Mitsuro nodded as she pushed on each of the windows on the bottom level. "I'm pretty sure by now it's the same building. This wasn't part of the original Duel Academy map. They built it about forty years ago under the guise of remodeling a building with bad plumbing. The one picture I found showed the building looking pretty dilapidated. I can't imagine any other building being the source of so much horror."

"Rumors say the 'official' story was they all went abroad for dueling research. Couldn't they come up with anything better than that?"

"Some people _do_ go abroad," she pointed out. "Remember Leon Verbeet? No, of course not; this is your first year. Well, he speaks fluent Italian, so last year he actually scored a grant to go study Italian dueling culture.

Tai made a face. "But isn't this the visitor's dorm now?"

She caught his meaning and shrugged. "I guess they thought demolishing a building would get rid of the ghosts." She gave up on the locked windows and put her hands on her hips as she looked around for an alternate route. "I just hope it didn't demolish all traces of whatever happened here."

Unfortunately, all the windows were well sealed and the door had protective measures against breaking in, not limited to electronic locks and a metal plate over the latch. As far as Mitsuro could tell, there were no secret passageways revealed by moving one of the stones in the walls, either. Wishful thinking, perhaps. She checked all around the building, just in case, while Tai waited out front.

"The rooster crows," she heard Tai call.

"What?"

He scoffed. "What was code for 'there's someone nearby'?"

Mitsuro quickly jumped back out front and started jogging in place. The people Tai noticed were only a handful of students walking along the path toward the mountains, but that they could see the Medici Building was enough to put suspicion on Mitsuro and Tai if word got out they were snooping around the old Abandoned Dorm.

"Come on, slowpoke!" she said loudly and with enough taunt in her voice to sound sincere. With a follow-up whisper, she added, "Maybe we can try again this evening. How are your lock-picking skills?"

"About as good as my Italian."

She gave him a puzzled look. "Do you speak Italian?"

"No."

"I was afraid of that."

* * *

Seeing as the majority of Matt's friends resided in the Blue Mansion, he often wandered that way when he was looking to hang out with Rory after dinner. And ever since Bryan started acting distant, Lucy liked having Matt around to talk to. He was a comforting presence because he still believed there was nothing wrong with Bryan that a good night's sleep and a good BM wouldn't cure.

To avoid overcrowding anyone's room and creating any awkward positions for Matt to hold against them and joke about, the group sometimes simply hung out in the lobby of the mansion. It was designed like a sitting room, with couches, chairs, and a fireplace off to one side of the staircase.

As Lucy sat and enjoyed hearing stories of Bryan's almost endless string of high school girlfriends, Cary Strickland stepped inside the front door with her backpack on. She looked like she'd just gotten out of class or off of work. She saw Matt, walked over, and reached into her pocket—a pretty good sign she was coming from work.

Matt looked cautiously at the paper. "What's this?"

"A piano," Cary replied dryly. "Seriously. Has it been that long since you received a duel request?"

"I'm at the bottom of the heap," Matt reminded her. "Who wants to challenge that?"

Rory poked him with her elbow. "You should really start challenging your way back up. It should be a piece of cake for you. All you've got to do is convince Bryan to accept a one-on-one duel, beat him again, and then you're back on top."

Matt chuckled. "Yeah. Like Bryan's going to accept a challenge from me."

Cary muttered, "Well, it might not be as difficult as you think."

It was that moment at which Matt read the name on the Duel Request Form. Bryan Knight challenged him to an area duel for the Monday of the following week. Usually, Dr. Lankford was the one who approved duels involving Blue residents, but this one was approved by Dr. Locklear. Despite that, the form definitely held Bryan's signature. He wanted to duel Matt again.

"Bryan challenged you?" Lucy asked, perking up a little. She noticed Bryan's odd behavior lately and frequently used Matt as a sounding board for her concerns. "I wonder if he's feeling better." She remembered Bryan's reaction at the end of the survival series; he was mopey and didn't talk to anybody about anything substantial for days. What if losing again would send Bryan into a deeper depression?

"I don't know," Matt replied pensively. "It definitely sounds like something the old Bryan would do—challenge someone who recently beat him at something, and keep challenging until he wins."

"You assume you'll win the next time," Cary commented. Clarifying her point, she said, "Effective as it might be sometimes, playing a Lockdown strategy is tough, especially for Elemental Heroes. Don't be surprised if he plays a whole other strategy."

Lucy liked that idea. As great as it was to have Bryan with her in Team Lockdown, it truly was difficult to make a Lockdown deck capable of stopping Matt's Darklord monsters. But the Elemental Heroes with their fusion roots had a definite opportunity to fight back.

Matt looked to Lucy for approval. "What do you think?"

"Me? This is something between you guys."

"But do you think beating him again will cause an even greater emotional drop?" Lucy hadn't thought of that.

But Rory did. "It's unlikely Bryan will hold it against you if you beat him in a freaking card game, even if it is potentially his future livelihood."

Lucy also couldn't imagine why losing one duel might bring Bryan to depression, but she was unfortunately able to imagine it. Though he never confessed what happened between them, Bryan held some grudge against Matt. And it was not regular argument about girls or sports; there was something going on that threatened their relationship entirely.

"It's never gonna happen," Alister said. Everyone looked to him for elaboration. "There are limits on challenges at Duel Academy. The top guy gets to deny as many challenges as he wants, so the administration put rules into place that limit the gaps between the top guy and his opponent."

Matt knew of the rules, but that never really came up in the short time he was on top. "Are you sure? Dr. Locklear already approved the request."

Cary said, "Dr. Lankford has the final say."

"Oh…"

Every now and then, as was typical in a dormitory, someone walked inside the front door. This time it was Mitsuro. She was dressed in her uniform like _she_ just got out of class. She looked a little more nervous than usual, though. At first, she just gave the group a quick look and then looked to the stairs, but she pulled a double take and looked longer the second time.

"Cary," she said with a bit of excitement. "Is there any chance you speak Italian?"

Cary just looked back blankly. "That's code for something, isn't it?"

Mitsuro smiled. "Girl talk. Maybe in twenty minutes?"

She nodded with a shrug. "Sure. Meet you upstairs."

Lucy acknowledged, "That was random."

"Yeah," Alister agreed. "Anyway." He further explained the reasoning behind the Rank-Gap rule. "If someone gets a lucky, one-in-a-million win to earn the top spot, he can just hang out up there by denying all requests. There are ways for the administration to remove him, but the school was basically founded on the philosophy that the Number One duelist should only accept duels from worthy opponents."

"So even though Matt is really Number One if not for a fluke of tuition," Rory interpreted, "he can't duel Bryan because of a stupid rule."

"They can still duel each other, but not through an official duel," Alister clarified.

Rory huffed, annoyed that she wouldn't get to see Matt take back the throne, as it were. She gave Alister a dirty look and said, "Why are you eavesdropping anyway, Mr. Nosey?"

He just grinned. "You're hanging out in front of the RA's office. If you want to keep secrets, go hang out in the woods."

Matt smiled at the clever point, but Lucy could tell he wanted to close the conversation about dueling Bryan. He patted Lucy's knee and commented, "It's probably better that way. I certainly don't want to stress Bro either by beating him or by disrespecting him with a subpar game, plus he wasn't an especially gracious duelist last time."

Lucy nodded. She liked it better that way.

Cary wondered, "So who's Bryan going to duel instead?"

* * *

Clint could barely even see his reflection with all the whipped cream hanging over his eyes. He turned the faucet on and leaned into the sink, cautiously watering his eyes. His best friend just stood next to the bathroom door, laughing.

"That doesn't count as a practical joke," he told Jason. At least whipped cream washed off his face easily, even if it made his shirt feel all sugary and sticky.

"It was still funny," Jason pointed out. "And that beating you gave him was hilarious!"

Clint scoffed at the thought. The "beating" was really limited to one solid punch in the shoulder before the whipped cream blinded him and Clint stumbled over a water fountain. But Jason was prone to exaggerating stories, and at least a beating made Clint seem tough and might deter other would-be jokesters from trying.

"Who was that guy, anyway?"

"You don't remember Cain Valin? He's that freshman prefect everyone keeps complaining about, the one who follows Matt around whenever he gets the chance. Mini-Matt, they call him. He's always trying to pull practical jokes on people, and he intentionally holds back in a duel until he has less than a thousand points left."

"He thinks Matt does that on purpose?" Clint huffed. "I guess he's not all there, is he?"

Jason shrugged. "He may have bipolar disorder or Asperger's or something. You saw the quality of his jokes. They're hardly practical at all. I wouldn't be surprised to find him outside right now with a rock ready to throw at you."

"Thanks for the burst of cheer," Clint said, finally ready to dry off his face. "Maybe we'll get lucky and he'll hit you with the rock, instead."

"Nah. He knows what will happen if he goes after someone like me."

"Don't you have a duel to get to, Captain Humble?"

Jason grinned. "I do. Only this time, winning will take me straight to Rank 1."

* * *

If Bryan couldn't settle the score with the most recent duelist to beat him, he'd make do with the only other attending duelist who ever achieved the task. Jason Knight was fairly tall with a modest build, but he was more notable for his tendency to exaggerate and his impressive dueling ability for one who almost seemed like an idiot.

Bryan won Rock-Paper-Scissors and opted to allow his opponent the first turn. (It was always his way of countering Matt's Cyber Dragons.)

Jason smiled and drew his cards. "I'll start with two facedown cards and Blackwing – Vayu the Emblem of Honor (1/800/0)." Taking an avian form as an agent of the wind, Vayu wore a topcoat buttoned down the middle with a standing collar and wooden sandals.

"I'll summon Elemental Hero Stratos (4/1800/300)." A blue-skinned man with white pants, a blue breastplate, and wings with two gyros on his back swooped from the sky and hovered in front of Bryan. "Using his effect, I'll retrieve one Hero card to my hand. I'll take Burstinatrix." He pulled a card from his deck and showed it to his opponent.

Jason just smirked, almost like he expected the move. "There's a big surprise."

"Now I'll attack with Stratos." The Hero buzzed Jason's field, dropping a grenade as he flew by and witnessing the small explosion from above. "That ends my turn."

Bryan 8000: Jason 8000 – 1000 = 7000.

"As aggressive as ever," Jason noted. "This is the second time you drew first blood on my Life Points." Scratching his head, he commented, "Now, my memory is a little fuzzy. How'd that one end?"

"With you donating a pint of blood through the nose."

Jason frowned. "I don't remember that."

"Blood loss has that effect."

Now Bryan was making things up about what happened last time. He brought the stakes even more important than earning the highest rank; now Jason's unique personality quirk was on the line! That made this personal.

"I'll summon Blackwing – Sirocco the Dawn (5/2000/900)." His monster was a tall man dressed like a bird, with black feathers on his waist, wings, and tail and blue feathers around his head. "I get to summon him without Tributes because you have a monster and I don't."

Bryan grumbled, "My biggest rival uses the Cyber Dragons _all the time!_ I'm familiar with the concept."

"Good. Then you should know I'm also going to Special Summon Blackwing – Gale the Whirlwind (3/1300/400)." Another monster from the Blackwing family, this one was a short birdman covered in blue feathers except for the green feathers around its head. "Gale has the ability to weaken your monsters once per turn." The bird swing its wing sharply, and a blade of wind passed straight through Stratos (-900/-150), cutting his size in half. "And now, I'll tune my Blackwings together to summon a monster big enough to dwarf your little Heroes."

The two birdmen became enveloped in a whirlwind of black feathers. When the gust died and the feathers faded, what remained was not a birdman, but an enormous wyrm: with six steel legs, wiry wings lined with red-bladed feathers, and a beak noted by razor teeth. "It's my Black-Winged Dragon (8/2800/1600)," Jason boasted. "Awesome, isn't it?"

"I've seen it."

Jason really hoped his mighty, legendary dragon would get Bryan's attention, but he was simply unflappable right now. This was a very different opponent from the one he beat last year. That guy was jealous, anxious, and uncontrolled; _this_ guy was collected, focused, and had a look in his eye like he was calculating the entire duel before it was even played.

"Maybe you'll provide a slightly more difficult challenge this time. With your Hero weakened by the gale and my dragon raring to go, I'll take the chance to lay a whooping on your Life Points." The Black-Winged Dragon (2800) flapped its wings quickly, repeatedly, and with great strength, assaulting Stratos (900) with a barrage of bladed winds; the Hero was cut to pieces. Checking his Duel Disk, he added, "I still have two facedown cards, so that's all for now."

Bryan 8000 – 1900 = 6100: Jason 7000.

* * *

When Bryan drew, his expression appeared to sink straight to "menacing." Although most viewers only noticed Bryan's attitude getting cockier, Mitsuro felt a chilling tingle at the base of her spine.

"Does anyone else feel that?" she asked.

Having obtained more acute awareness through experience, Matt was able to sense the energy coming directly from Bryan's cards. "Something's different," he agreed.

"Different how?" Lucy asked with immediate concern growing in her voice.

Matt wasn't sure. "It's like…" _Me,_ he answered mentally. _Only stronger._

* * *

"It's time to combine Avian and Burstinatrix," Bryan announced. "I'll activate Dark Fusion!"

Two bright lights struck the field as the winged man Avian and the flaming Burstinatrix appeared and began to merge. "Dark Fusion?" Jason repeated. "That does what? And don't say 'fusion' because I already jumped to that conclusion."

"It combines my monsters in a way you have never seen." And he was right. Instead of Flaming Wingman, Phoenix Enforcer, or any of the myriad combinations Bryan created with these specific Heroes over his school career, the fusion produced a winged woman dressed in red with wild hair, massive wings, and hands like badger paws. "This is Evil Hero Inferno Wing (6/2100/1200)."

"An _Evil_ Hero? Wow. I guess Yoda's advice didn't mean much to you, huh?" Jason joked.

Bryan ignored him and simply activated "Fusion Weapon increases my monster's power by 1500." Inferno Wing (+3600) held her right arm forward and watched it transform into the shape of a plasma cannon. "Let's attack."

Although he almost missed the timing because of staring at the Hero actually bear the name Evil, Jason was able to activate his Trap. "Ring of Destruction will destroy your monster and inflict its points as damage to both of us." Of course, Jason's real plan was to use Black-Winged Dragon's effect to absorb the damage and earn a Black Feather Token. When Bryan was defenseless, he would swarm the field with Blackwings, and he'd use Forbidden Chalice to improve his dragon's power for an attack.

But the firing stones never wrapped around Inferno Wing's neck.

"What happened?"

Bryan leaned forward slightly. "When Dark Fusion is used to summon a monster, that monster cannot be targeted by any effects for the duration of the turn. You wasted a Trap." Jason didn't have any time to be shocked or annoyed. Inferno Tempest (3600) pelted Black-Winged Dragon (2800) with her new cannon three times, causing the dragon's body to disperse into the air.

And she moved in closer immediately afterward. "When your monster is destroyed, Inferno Tempest inflicts damage equal to your monster's attack points." She raised her left arm and sparked a pillar of flame that would have incinerated Jason were it not a hologram. "Now I'll set two cards and end my turn."

Bryan 6100: Jason 7000 – 800 – 2800 = 3400.

It took Jason a moment to stop imagining all the dark dealings that could have given Bryan such a powerful monster. "You sold your soul, didn't you?"

"No," was Bryan's simple reply.

"Good choice, especially if it actually makes you a good duelist," Jason taunted. "Did you have to pay in blood like in that _Ghost Rider_ movie, or did you just have to make a verbal promise?" When Bryan gave no response, Jason let his imagination run away. "So it was even worse than that, huh?"

Finally, Bryan sighed with, "Just play your damn card."

"As you wish. I'll play Monster Reborn to revive Black-Winged Dragon (2800), and then I'll set one card facedown."

Bryan narrowed his eyes, but he didn't slow down. "Inferno Tempest (3600) will attack your Black-Winged Dragon."

As the Evil Hero charged her arm cannon, Jason opened his Traps.

"Reverse Trap completely reverses the effect of your Fusion Weapon, taking all those points _away_ from Inferno Tempest (-600)." A legless demon hovered over Inferno Tempest and began to manipulate her weapon. The cannon on Inferno Tempest's arm began to charge much too hot, slowly melting the exterior steel.

"I've got Dark Bribe," Bryan huffed. A man dressed in decadent, silk clothes stepped calmly in front of Bryan and slipped a gold coin into the demon's hands. The demon—fascinated by the coin's luster—forgot about Inferno Tempest and disappeared. "Your Trap is negated and you draw a card."

With a sunken expression, Jason only said, "Great."

Inferno Tempest continued her original attack, releasing three blasts of plasma energy at Jason's wyrm again. When the dragon was gone, she sparked another pillar of flame to consume her opponent. Jason felt a rise in temperature as the fire encased him.

"This game is over," Bryan announced.

Bryan 6100: Jason 3400 – 800 – 2800 = 0.

* * *

Lucy couldn't believe what she saw. "What was that Evil Hero?" She really hoped Matt had an answer.

Unfortunately, he couldn't deliver. "I don't know. But if I'm right, and that is not the only one of its kind, then Bryan may have just found something even stronger than Rank 1."

"Are you worried?" Mitsuro asked. "Do you know what happened to him? Can you beat that?"

"I don't know where he got that power, and I wonder if even the professors could defeat him as he is now. This feels like something even stronger than the Shadows…"

* * *

The holograms shut down and Bryan stepped toward the end of the stage, stopping directly beside Jason. "Nice try, Bird Boy, but it looks like one of us hit a plateau. You will have to work harder to improve beyond Rank 9. And I only know of one magic cure for weakness."

He leaned in close so only he and Jason could hear. "You may want to head into the woods tonight. Take the path toward the hot springs, but at the second right, go straight on instead. If you're lucky, you just might find a Ghost. I hear 7 is his lucky number."

* * *

_This one feels a little weak to me, partly because I feel rushed to get it out. It turns out writing three different stories at a time is even more taxing than I realized... At least knowing where the story is going makes it a little easier, even if I get a little lost along the way. Apologies for sharing personal issues. _

_The next chapter will show more of Bryan's power sudden power growth and give a small taste of the Ghost Duelist's ultimate plan. The chapter after that will begin the Thelemic Pantheon arc. If anyone wants to contribute an OC for that, this may be your last chance._

_Credits:_  
_Darius Mantzios...tiramisu19_  
_Jason Maxim...Maxim and Knight_  
_Nathan Zislaw...Mavrik Zero_  
_Hillary Delaney...Nodqfan144_  
_Lili Von...Happy2BMe_  
_Carter Jade...Jaden2010  
Mitsuro Itachu...Titanic X  
Sean Bivins...DarkVestroia2_  
_Ivy Roaks...Mental Panda_  
_Naoto Kurotsuki...Kurotsuki Haru_  
_Hayley Wilson...TeamRocketDiva_  
_Maikeru Stone...onyxshade7  
Victor Rocks & Abel Shinzou...Iron-Arm-V_  
_Alister Kazama & Jessica Parks...ZaneKazama001_  
_Synthia Spencer...Madly Chessur_  
_Leila & Linear Lockhart...Windraider__  
Logan Wilson...MercWithTheMouth13_  
_Allen Tebaro...Nouva17  
Tai Ishihara...ZAFT Prime  
Cain Valin...FE96jAFFAR_  
_Everyone else so far...YamiRuss_


	9. Pale Rider

Chapter 9: Pale Rider

Despite the allure of the beautifully designed Duel Academy campus and the pleasantness of taking in the sun while hanging out on the quad, no place on the island was better than the woods for meeting away from prying eyes and open ears.

In a small cabin scarcely noticed by passersby, Kasumi Okuyama, occasionally known as Envy, watched with irritation as Thomas Estrada, occasionally known as Greed, attempted to pace a hole in the floor. He clearly had a bug up his pants about something, and the bug really wanted to complain to the Ghost Duelist's face.

"What's going on with you, Greed?" Carter Jade asked. Occasionally known as Gluttony, he was in the process of eating a chili cheese dog and a pack of hickory when he spoke. "In the past twenty minutes, you've walked a greater total distance than Sloth has all month."

Nathan Zislaw, lying in a supine position on the wide windowsill, simply waved his fingers forward as if to brush away the words that were spoken about him. "Walking is overrated. So is talking." With that, he pulled a baseball cap over his face as if signaling his oncoming sleep.

Thomas wasn't dissuaded by the comment. "Where is he? I want answers."

"About what?" Kasumi asked. She pulled out her deck and began shuffling through her cards, piecing together the strategies that sprang into her mind from nowhere. She found herself pleased with her increase in power, particularly her Red-Eyes Darkness Metal Dragon, but it wasn't enough. Although she lost only two duels since receiving the Ghost's power—one against Cary and one against Thomas—she still found herself wanting more powerful cards. Perhaps the Cyber Dragons or even Matt's new Darklords would satisfy her.

"Don't ask him questions," Jason Maxim requested. Giving Thomas a cocky grin, he explained, "If you ask questions, he won't shut up."

Thomas didn't need to retaliate. The wooden door creaked open and revealed the pale, almost invisibly clear visage of the Ghost Duelist. He wore the same serene, conniving expression he wore each time he met with his cohorts, which made Kasumi jealous because she couldn't seem to get past her frustration long enough to find a reason to smile.

Even during the brief times she was with Matt, Kasumi focused on what he had that she wanted. She couldn't be happy just being with him; she wanted the respect, good cheer, and power that he commanded.

"You made me wait," Thomas grumbled. "I hate waiting."

"My apologies, Greed," the Ghost spoke as he stepped inside. But he didn't have a defense and he didn't offer one. He simply stood motionlessly for a moment while Abel Shinzou and Logan Wilson stepped up behind him.

"What are they doing here?" Carter wondered aloud. More importantly, "Did they bring food?"

Ghost turned his head, but his gaze never left Thomas. "Do not worry about my Horsemen. I am here only because you called me."

"Yeah, I did," Thomas replied angrily. "I want to know what's going on."

"Oh?"

"Yeah. Where's the rest of my power?"

Ghost wasn't flustered; he simply tilted his head quizzically while maintaining his smug expression. "To what power do you refer?"

"Don't give me that cute stuff," he demanded. As soon as Thomas stepped toward the Ghost, both Abel and Logan stepped in front of him like bodyguards. Each guy was much bigger than Thomas in overall size and bulk, and so he shied away. "Are these your new goons?"

"They were always my real followers," Ghost said. His eyes bounced from Abel to Logan as he explained, "These two are part of my true goal. They will be the ones who help me save the world. Your job is done. I have no further use for any of you. You are welcome to keep the power I gave you, though. Considering it a parting gift."

Jason didn't like the sound of that. "You're _done_ with us? I'm the only reason the sword-nutjob there even knows who you are."

"Pride goeth before the fall," Logan mocked. He snatched a small piece of Carter's snack and bit into it. "Nothing like a good piece of hickory."

Thomas was still visibly displeased, although he wouldn't challenge either Abel or Logan in any sort of fisticuffs. Kasumi knew how eager Thomas was to be the best. As badly as she wanted everything Matt and Bryan had, Thomas desired the whole world, and he thought he could get it through money and fame and power.

"I understand the question," Nathan spoke up. He didn't _look_ up, though; he remained supine with his hat over his eyes. "You promised us power for helping you achieve your goal, yet your Horsemen ended up getting the majority of it. It's like we were the warm-ups while you perfected your technique. Wrath is the perfect example."

Kasumi remembered what happened. Romulus Malligan was given the power that Ghost promised, but instead of focusing on Ghost's plan, Romulus was overtaken by personal emotions stemming from previous neglect and heartache. And while he ruined himself, Ghost made nary a move to aid him. That was her first clue that she was not a big part of his goal.

The Ghost Duelist, guarded as he was, wasn't threatened at all by the growing unrest among his lower ranks. "My process was perfected the entire time. If you think back to what I told you about energy, you might realize the answer."

Struggling with her detailed memory, Kasumi wasn't sure what he meant. But Jason heard the claims much more recently, and so he remembered how the Ghost Duelist described a person's power.

"On our own, we can only hold so much power," he recalled. "But the efficiency of that power can be improved, making us seem even more powerful. That's why you dueled us—to deplete our own energy stores and refill them with your own power."

"But there's a flaw with that technique, isn't there?" Nathan pointed out rhetorically. "By dueling us, you weaken yourself simultaneously; therefore, the power you give to us is also less efficient than the whole because our energy has already started restoring by the time yours kicks in."

Abel finished his thought for him with a glance at Kasumi. She hadn't seen that kind of look from him since she defeated him in a duel and introduced him to the Ghost. "But if one of you were to weaken us instead, then that leaves our energy stores wide open for the Ghost to offer us his purest form of power. That was your purpose."

Thomas clenched his fists, struggling to hold back his frustration. "I want that power!" he finally demanded. "I deserve it! I want everything you have! I want the School Duel!"

Logan laughed at that, and Kasumi had to admit it sounded ridiculous. Thomas was hardly even in Bryan's league in terms of dueling skill, especially since the Ghost turned Bryan into one of his Horsemen—with Lust's help.

"Don't mess with Death," Logan warned Thomas.

Thomas recognized 'Death' as Bryan's new handle. What surprised him more was hearing Logan stand up for someone else. "You're working for Knight now?"

"No way," he laughed loudly in Thomas's face. He tilted his head back toward the Ghost Duelist. "I'm working for him. Back in his corner, I get to help save the world."

"Save the world," Jason repeated thoughtfully. "From what?"

"From that which corrupts even the purest of souls."

Kasumi smirked at such a vague answer. She could tell the Ghost wasn't going to reveal any more of his plan to them. Their role was complete. If she wanted anything else, she was going to have to take it for herself. Maybe she could use what little of the Ghost's power she still held to take Matt's power. Surely she could find some way to fill herself with the power that was once strong enough to defeat all three Egyptian God Cards.

But that still left one big question. As the Ghost and his two Horsemen turned to leave, Kasumi blurted out, "Who are you? Who are you… really?"

Ghost didn't even bother to turn back and look at her. "Well, it really doesn't matter, does it?"

* * *

The plane arrived from Katsuya at six o'clock bearing three faculty members and twenty-three students from Godwin Academy located on the mainland. After a half hour to get everyone through customs and Kaiba Corp. security, Dr. West greeted the visitors with a luxury Kaiba Corp. bus to ferry everyone the short distance to the Duel Academy campus and the accommodations offered by the visitor's dorm, the Medici Building. There, the visitors were greeted by a group of students who volunteered previously to help the visitors move into the dorm for their two-day visit, including Matt, whom the Godwin headmaster remembered quite well.

Dr. West led a roly-poly man with white hair around his thinning hairline. Dr. Hamlin Spengler was an old man by this point in life, but he got that way by holding the headmaster position at Godwin Academy for the longest term in the academy's history. Under Headmaster Spengler's guidance, Godwin Academy expanded its curriculum by three hundred percent while simultaneously reducing its budget expenditures and improving the quality of instruction on campus. Graduates under his guidance include a number of champion tournament duelists and members of many professional duel league teams.

"Mr. Luther," Spengler said as he shook hands with Matt. Without showing any kind of emotion through expression, he simply spoke, "How odd to see you wearing yellow after the way you defeated Mr. Daher two years ago. Don't tell me you actually got _worse_ under Corbin's tutelage."

Instead of taking offense, Matt replied, "I get hit in the head a lot." He matched Dr. Spengler's smile and added, "No, seriously. It's sort of an outreach program. You've no doubt heard the research that says people tend to mimic their peers? By desegregating the dorms and putting some high-powered duelists alongside some weaker ones, we hope to make everyone a champion."

Dr. Spengler looked flabbergasted. "Is this true, Corbin?"

Dr. West smirked. "No. Matt is just the victim of bureaucracy because his reenrollment was late this year and he doesn't care about his rank."

Dr. Spengler sure did. Instantly, his opinion of Matt dropped to the level when they met the first time. He suspected Dr. West's story was just an excuse and that Matt's victory over Garry two years earlier was just a fluke. There was no way his current champion Tyson Galea would struggle against a student from the Yellow Dorm.

"Very well, Corbin. Show me to this boy who will attempt to maintain your school's superiority in the dueling ranks." He expected to find another unassuming boy—or maybe a girl, considering Cary did win the duel during the last year when she broke out her Dragunity cards—who probably had a bit of a smart mouth but was mostly lucky with the cards.

Bryan was a big surprise to Godwin's headmaster. Standing six-foot-five and 260 pounds with muscles on his muscles, Bryan was far from the prototypical picture of a nerd. By sheer physical appearance, Tyson couldn't compete; he was only five-foot-eight and 180 pounds with a body given to him by the good graces of decent metabolism and a low desire for M&Ms. Tyson kept his brown hair short, except in the very front where he bleached it and gelled it up in a single point.

"Fortunate it's not a wrestling match," Dr. Spengler admitted. "We shall see tomorrow which of these young men has the more to offer on the duel field."

"Indeed we shall," Dr. West agreed. "Shall I show you to your rooms?"

After finding the accommodations of the Medici Building satisfactory—like a Holiday Inn suite where two rooms shared a bath—Dr. Spengler hacked into the Duel Academy wireless internet network and had Tyson spend an hour watching videos of Bryan's duels. After all, Bryan was once a Guardian Dueler—a wielder of the Sacred Beast Uria—and, well-educated, Tyson was the perfect duelist to take back the dueling crown for Godwin Academy.

* * *

The morning brought all students from both academies and half the residents of Kazuki to the Hibiki Convocation Center. Being part of a small school, the center seated relatively few spectators—only twenty thousand—but it looked huge from the floor at center stage. There, the IT technicians set up the hologram projectors and tuned them to the Duel Disks adorning each participant's arm.

Dr. Spengler and Dr. West met in the stands in their usual faculty seating. It was there they often discussed important characteristics they had in common, such as what material possessions the other man was willing to part with if his student lost the duel.

"Corbin," Dr. Spengler greeted curtly. A blind man could see the intense rivalry between these two men. "You know, the other headmasters still see you in an inferior light ever since your students lost the god cards."

"The other headmasters also don't believe in the legends surrounding those cards. And they haven't seen half of what you and I have seen, have they?"

"Quite." Dr. Spengler still held a grudge because he strongly desired for his university to house the god cards, but he was aware of what the god cards could do. And this was one dead horse that wasn't worth beating.

"I suppose we will have a powerful show before us today. Tyson led the university's branch of Team Lockdown for two consecutive years, and he has represented the school in three prestigious tournaments. He has more skill in his deck than I had in all of my cards growing up."

Dr. West understood Tyson's reputation was impressive, though Dr. Spengler went to great lengths to seal all records before the School Duel each year. But as impressive as Tyson may have been through his college career, Bryan was one duelist who intentionally waited until he was even better than when he first qualified.

"Bryan may have represented Duel Academy sooner, but he opted to wait until he found the right opponent. Tyson should feel honored to be assessed so highly."

Dr. Spengler simply harrumphed. Clearly he didn't regard Bryan any more highly just because he preferred strong opponents. "Just keep in mind that excessive pride can undo even the brightest of duelists. Your boy sounds a bit overconfident if he thinks he can defeat Tyson."

"What say we let the cards make that decision, shall we?"

"Very well, Corbin. The usual wager, then?"

"Of course."

Tyson started the duel by setting a monster and ending his turn there. It was a typical sight and usually marked one of two strategies: either Tyson just wanted to be cautious and discover Bryan's strategy first, or he wanted Bryan to attack without any reservation.

"No doubt that is Wattdragonfly," Dr. Spengler told Dr. West. "Its destruction will let Tyson take any Watt monster from his deck and summon it to the field."

"Oh? So the young prodigy runs a Watt deck. That's a difficult deck to master, indeed, but I see how that earned him such prominence in Team Lockdown. Bryan is also a member of the same Team."

"Really? Because I've heard of his Knospe Lockdown, and Tyson has already planned to fight against it. Elemental Heroes can be a bit cumbersome to use and, therefore, make for a simple victory."

Dr. West told him just to watch how this "simple victory" goes.

Bryan played Dark Fusion, which drew a puzzled look from Dr. Spengler. After Burstinatrix and Clayman appeared briefly on the field and were engulfed in a bright light of fusion, Burstinatrix became taller and scrawnier, but she put on armor like Clayman's—red and bulky with a cannon at the end of her right arm, looking somewhat like a female Mega Man. This was Evil Hero Infernal Sniper (6/2000/2500).

"An Evil Hero?" Dr. Spengler asked. "Where in the world did that card come from?"

Dr. West shook his head. "Do you remember being a part of The Hellfire Club?"

"That old secret society back in college? What does that have to do with these cards?"

"We studied a lot of dark arts and performed a number of irreverent rituals. I remember reading about one ritual that could allegedly turn a person evil by allowing an evil spirit to possess his or her body. Supposedly it could work on cards, too."

"Yes, but that's ridiculous. That would suggest that someone from our old society was here on the island performing those rituals once again. Don't be so preposterous just because your boy discovered one card I know nothing about."

Bryan's monster made no move to attack. Three set cards appeared behind her and Bryan ended his turn. It was anybody's guess what his strategy would be.

Tyson summoned Wattpheasant (4/1000/800)—a big, blue, almost rooster-like bird with electricity jolting from its feathers. "This one will definitely sway the duel," Dr. Spengler said with conviction. "It gets to attack directly, you know." He looked over at Dr. West and asked him, "Do you remember when the Watt monsters were first created?"

Dr. West just pointed him right back to the duel. "Do you remember when Gravity Bind was created?" A series of green lines, representing the Earth's gravitational pull, grounded the pheasant and kept it almost pinned to the ground and prevented it from attacking.

"Ah, but it seems Tyson is ready with a counter strike," Dr. Spengler pointed out as Mystical Space Typhoon struck toward Bryan's field and set to destroy his Continuous Trap Card. Dr. Spengler's expression sank when he saw Bryan activate another card—Imperial Custom, one that protects all other face-up Continuous Traps from destruction. "Perhaps I underestimated your student just a tad. Or…" he said softly, as if slowly changing his earlier opinion. "Perhaps it is actually our old society I underestimated."

Dr. West wasn't willing to suggest Bryan wouldn't win this duel on his own. And many of these cards were ones Bryan already presented numerous times in his duels. He just gave the impression of a different motive behind his plays.

When Bryan's turn started, Infernal Sniper immediately blasted Tyson directly with her arm cannon. The force of the explosion might have rivaled a pound of C4 if it weren't holographic, but the mere sight of it was enough to make Dr. Spengler wince. He continued by playing Painful Choice and showing Granmarg the Rock Monarch, Tiki Soul, Caius the Shadow Monarch, Anti-Spell Fragrance, and Mirror Wall.

"This may seem like a tough choice," Dr. Spengler said, "but in reality, it's an easy grab. The Monarchs are clearly dangerous, especially considering Bryan has a strong monster on the field ready to Tribute. Tiki Soul is a Trap Monster stronger than the Watt monsters, plus it can't be destroyed as long as Imperial Custom is on the field. Anti-Spell Fragrance might hurt your boy, but clearly he's well off without Spells for the moment. Mirror Wall, on the other hand, is not protected by Imperial Custom unless your boy wants to spend 2000 Life Points per turn."

"I might agree with the sentiment," Dr. West offered.

Even without overhearing, Tyson opted for Bryan to keep Mirror Wall and discard the rest of his cards. Dr. Spengler looked to Dr. West with a gleam in his eye—the "I told you so" look. But Bryan opted not to set his new Trap. He simply ended his turn there.

Bryan 8000: Tyson 8000 – 1000 = 7000.

"Losing the ability to attack directly is really going to hurt your student," Dr. West commented, knowing he was egging his old friend on. "I fear Bryan is going to make your school seem tremendously underskilled during this duel."

"Just give Tyson a moment. He always finds a way out of any mess. The Watt cards are renowned for their natural Lockdown ability. You'll see soon enough why Tyson leads the region in lockdown strategies."

Tyson summoned a Wattberyx (3/300/0), a large, red snapper fish. The fish and the pheasant began charging electrically between one another until they became nothing more than a bright light. When the light burst and the electricity dispersed, Tyson's monster had become a seven-headed hydra monster, with each face like a blue-and-red, cartoonish crocodile.

"The Watthydra (7/1500/1500) is Tyson's key card. Don't be surprised if he finds a way for that card to beat anything your Hero boy can come up with."

And Tyson lived up to the hype. He played Star Blast, and by paying 2000 Life Points, he reduced Watthyrda's (-3) level by four stars, eliminating Gravity Bind's effect. The hydra was able to bypass Bryan's armored monster and bite directly into him.

Almost. Bryan activated Depth Amulet; an oversized necklace, bearing six multi-colored gems and an obsidian blade, swung across the field like a pendulum, deflecting the hydra's attack and resetting itself up high for another swing. Tyson finished with two facedown cards.

Bryan 8000: Tyson 7000 – 2000 = 5000.

"A minor setback," Dr. Spengler insisted. "You see there? One hundred bucks says one of those facedown cards is either Malevolent Catastrophe or Dust Tornado. That will help get rid of Gravity Bind more permanently."

On the field, Bryan's armored sniper blasted Tyson directly, and then Bryan sent all three of his Traps to the Graveyard. Dr. West and Headmaster Dr. Spengler felt a wave of heaviness fall upon their shoulders—as if a dense fog descended upon the convocation center and shrouded each person inside. Both men knew the feeling, but neither could believe this sensation could return.

"Corbin, is that…?"

Dr. West felt compelled to shake his head. "It can't be. After Maya disappeared…"

Bryan's Duel Disk began to jolt more than Tyson's monsters. The holograms on the field started to fade and the lights in the stadium flickered… almost as if all the nearby energy were being rerouted toward Bryan's arm to support one powerful card. All the lights turned out for a brief moment as a ball of flame erupted on the field and quickly turned into a mighty serpent as tall as the convocation center. Red scales reflected the light of the flame, wide wings spread flames throughout the building, and massive teeth clamped down on Tyson's facedown card.

Dr. Spengler uttered, "Uria, Lord of Searing Flames (10/+6000/+6000)." It was an amazing and awe-inspiring sight to witness the summoning of a god card. Very slowly, after watching Uria's flame consume Tyson's hydra (1500) and half the stadium, Dr. Spengler's expression turned sour.

He looked crossways at his old friend and rival. "Wasn't that card supposedly lost?"

Dr. West was as baffled as the next guy. "It disappeared with Maya… I thought." The realization crept across Dr. West's mind, like a liquid puzzle that slid across the board and filled in the gaps along the way. It seemed that Bryan—and maybe Matt—knew where the god cards went after all. After narrowly surviving the Shadows, they must have hidden the cards and claimed they disappeared as protection against their power.

But now Bryan took that power back for himself. Whatever power coursed through his cards to summon the Evil Heroes also desired the power that came with Bryan's old god card. If Bryan was unstoppable before, what level did a god card bring him?

Bryan 8000: Tyson 5000 – 1000 – 4500 = 0.

* * *

_Not much to say this week. I thought it would be different to see the duel from the spectator's view; let me know how you think it worked. The next chapter will set up the split in the story and see some characters off to Santa Barbara while the other characters wait faithfully for their part in the story to return._

_If anyone else wants to submit an OC for the Thelemic Pantheon, this is pretty much your last chance. Send me a PM if you want to know what I need. Until next time!_

_Credits:_  
_Darius Mantzios...tiramisu19_  
_Jason Maxim...Maxim and Knight_  
_Nathan Zislaw...Mavrik Zero_  
_Hillary Delaney...Nodqfan144_  
_Lili Von...Happy2BMe_  
_Carter Jade...Jaden2010  
Mitsuro Itachu...Titanic X  
Sean Bivins...DarkVestroia2_  
_Ivy Roaks...Mental Panda_  
_Naoto Kurotsuki...Kurotsuki Haru_  
_Hayley Wilson...TeamRocketDiva_  
_Maikeru Stone...onyxshade7  
Victor Rocks & Abel Shinzou...Iron-Arm-V_  
_Alister Kazama & Jessica Parks...ZaneKazama001_  
_Synthia Spencer...Madly Chessur_  
_Leila & Linear Lockhart...Windraider__  
Logan Wilson...MercWithTheMouth13_  
_Allen Tebaro...Nouva17  
Tai Ishihara...ZAFT Prime  
Cain Valin...FE96jAFFAR_  
_Everyone else so far...YamiRuss_


	10. Parting of the Ways

Chapter 10: Parting of the Ways

Despite the allure of the beautifully designed Duel Academy campus and the pleasantness of taking in the sun while hanging out on the quad, no place on the island was better than the woods for meeting away from prying eyes and open ears. It also worked for anyone trying to be alone for a few minutes.

Matt stepped into the familiar Deadnettle Grove, named for the specific white flower that grew in the moonlit break in the tree canopy. The place was remarkably beautiful considering the exceedingly dangerous memories attached to it. He stepped up to the biggest tree and rested his hand on the trunk while he looked down toward the roots.

Without moving his gaze, he said, "You can see better if you come into the light."

The response was sudden silence for a moment, but Rory, Lili, and Synthia knew better than to think that they were going to make Matt think they just disappeared. They stepped out of the shadows, all wearing black like prowlers.

"What's with the cat burglar getup?" Matt asked.

Synthia answered, "You weren't supposed ta see us."

He looked up at Lili with a puzzled expression. "They even talked you into playing dress-up?"

"It was her idea," Rory interrupted.

Lili shrugged. "I didn't think you'd see us."

"If it makes you feel any better, I didn't. In fact, I _heard_ you coming a mile away." He knelt down by the tree and ran his fingers across the topsoil.

"What are y'all looking for?" Synthia wondered.

As she asked, Matt found the exact spot where the dirt was freshly disturbed. "Something from my past," he answered vaguely. He pulled out the spade he carried in the inside pocket of his jacket and dug through the dirt for a few moments while the women watched inquisitively. When he stuck a discordant note, he stuck his hand in the ground and pulled up a small, metal box.

"You buried a time capsule?" Lili suggested.

"Yeah. Wait until you see the face I'm making in this picture. It makes me look like an Egyptian God Card."

That caught everyone's attention. Rory asked him, "You have the god cards? I thought they were lost."

"Who do you think lost them?"

Synthia asked, "What's with the lead box? That almost makes it look like you think they're radioactive or something. They're just cards."

Matt forced a chuckle. "I'll tell you a funny story someday." He lifted the lid of the box and searched the contents, which didn't take long when the box was empty. "So he took more than just Uria."

Rory wondered, "You mean the god card Bryan played? Was it buried here?"

"And now it's in his deck. Whatever happened recently, he decided to bolster his power as much as possible."

"Are the god cards really that powerful?"

Matt nodded. "They're not unstoppable, but their power is tremendous. I don't know if I'd be able to beat Bryan as he is now, especially if he has all nine god cards."

"Nine?" Lili repeated. "I thought there were six."

"I'll tell you a funny story sometime." He stood up and just kicked the dirt back into the hole, not bothering to replant the empty box. "I guess there's no point hanging around here any longer."

Synthia stepped past him and looked at the way the deadnettles shimmered in the moonlight. "You think anyone would mind if I take one of these flowers?"

Matt shook his head. "Help yourself, but watch out for the tripwire."

"Tripwire?"

The warning came too late; Synthia tripped over a thin wire propped only six inches over the ground, causing her to fall face-first into a pile of whipped cream underneath the flowers. Lili helped her to her feet while Cain Valin accidentally revealed himself by laughing uncontrollably. Lili growled at him, "You'd better hope you're armed."

Rory lost track of her friend as she chased Cain through the trees. She asked Matt, "How did you know that was there?"

"A good prankster is always aware of his surroundings in case of reprisals."

"And does a good prankster pass on his knowledge to wannabe pranksters?"

Matt laughed. "After he threw a rock at Jason, I decided to offer him a few useful tips… and maybe set one up for him as a demonstration."

Rory punched him lightly in the chest. "As a personal favor to you, I won't tell Lili of your involvement. But don't you dare ever target me with one of those pranks."

"Noted."

* * *

Mitsuro and Tai described the building's interior to Cary. They explained how they systematically checked everywhere for any kind of locker or filing cabinet or hidden room. The garbage chute on the first floor was empty, the RA office didn't even have an updated calendar, and there were no trap doors underneath the carpets.

"Did either of you bother to check the dumbwaiter?"

Mitsuro and Tai exchanged "what are you talking about" looks. "What dumbwaiter?"

Cary grabbed the heavy wooden panel on the wall and shoved it upwardly, revealing an open shaft with two ropes pulled taut. "This is what you get for learning to fight and fly instead of watching old movies. You need less discipline and more TV in your lives."

"I thought that was a garbage chute," Tai explained. "Besides, how are we supposed to use that? It's tiny."

"I'm happy to go first," she replied.

Mitsuro stepped up to the panel, check the chute, and then grabbed the rope to raise the dumbwaiter to the ground floor. "I'd better go first. If there is any kind of threat down there, I'm well trained to handle it."

"Have at it." Cary graciously stood aside and helped Mitsuro get into the dumbwaiter and slowly lower herself down the shaft.

"It really looks like a trash chute," Tai defended himself.

Cary nodded. "That's probably the point. Dumbwaiters are so old no one would second guess it, despite the fact that the chute doesn't go to a higher floor and it's in the middle of the front hallway where nobody has any trash to toss."

"Anybody could have missed that."

"Coming from a guy who can spot a falcon at three hundred yards on a cloudy day from a helicopter."

* * *

Mitsuro was far from comfortable squeezed into that dumbwaiter. It felt like the wall narrowed as her body became sore and started to swell. The greatest feeling in the world was when one wall opened up and let in the same stale air one might find in the library stacks. The growing feeling of claustrophobia from a moment earlier faded tremendously when she pulled the flashlight from a caribbeaner on her belt and found a surprisingly open space.

The light only helped so much, but she could see the room was covered in cobwebs and filled with boxes that hadn't been attended to since the first Clinton was president. Shelves lined the walls from floor to ceiling, but many were empty with full boxes on the floor in front of them. It seemed as if someone started to pack the materials and documents in the room but either lost interest, got kicked out, or fell prey to the Shadows.

Thinking about the rumors that connected this building to the Shadow Realm sent a shiver down Mitsuro's spine. "I hate it when the basement is hidden."

She didn't get very far into the room before her phone started playing a quiet version of _Who's Who in Navy Blue_, signaling her phone receipt of a message from the Academy's administrative offices. She checked the screen and read a notice from the post office.

"A package for me?"

* * *

"What the hell is Thelemic Pantheon?" Bryan asked harshly. His patience was short when he was in the post office. The room was problematic for him because there were no chairs located around the mail boxes.

Lucy smirked at him and pointed to the novella-sized envelope—specifically to the corner with the I2 logo. "It's from Industrial Illusions. Don't you think it's worth opening and reading?"

"Industrial Illusions?" Suddenly Bryan's expression turned to one of a giddy child at Christmas. It was a drastic change from when he dueled with a forbidden god card. He ripped open the envelope and looked at the contents. The cover of the novella was a colorful presentation of Western Santa Barbara with a focus on a single building shaped like a towering spire. "I don't get it."

"Read," Lucy repeated. While Bryan looked through the novella, she picked up the paper letter that slid off the back side. It was addressed to Bryan as it should be, but the signature at the bottom bore more than just a name; there was also a hand-drawn image of the Eye of Wedjet.

"Oh, my god," she uttered, catching Bryan's attention. "This signature says _Pegasus_."

"The constellation?"

Lucy dropped the letter and looked at him incredulously. "Yes, Bryan. A group of stars wrote you a letter." She held the letter in front of him and said more seriously, "I think this is for real. The guy who started Duel Monsters is inviting you to attend a special, two-week course at his new facility in Santa Barbara."

"Really? You don't think this is someone pretending to be someone famous in order to swindle me out of a bunch of money?"

She shrugged. "How could it be a swindle? It says the entire trip is complimentary. They'll provide you room and board, and transportation was already arranged. They just need your application filled out online by Friday."

"That's pretty wicked. You think I should go?"

"Do Avian and Burstinatrix have more combinations than the Power Ranger Zords?"

He laughed at the mental image that created. "That's an interesting point. Does the letter say what I win when I'm successful?"

She just gave him a look. "It's a class, smart guy. What you 'win' are knowledge and the opportunity to meet the man who created the card game you hope will make you money." Which was more unbelievable: that Bryan earned a personal invitation or that he wanted to win something from it?

Bryan finally started to read the letter for himself as he followed Lucy to her mailbox. "So if I submit my forms online by Friday, then next Monday morning will see me on a helicopter heading directly for Santa Barbara. This sounds frickin' awesome. I wonder how big the class will be."

Lucy opened her own novella-sized envelope and pulled out a similarly-worded letter bearing the signature of 'Pegasus.' She showed it to Bryan—not sure how to express the well of excitement she held—and said, "I guess there will be at least one other person."

Of course, the invitees were not limited to Duel Academy students, but a handful from the academy was hand-picked by Maximilian Pegasus. Each with their own questions about the letter—very detailed about instructions yet oddly vague about the reasons for their selections—gathered in Dr. West's office on that Friday. As always, he had a great, big smile on his face.

"First, let me express how proud I am that each of you was offered this tremendous honor." He was beaming like a proud grandfather.

Bryan Knight, Lucy Mercer, Mitsuro Itachu, Darius Mantzios, Hillary Delaney, and Numbers Harper sat in front of Dr. West's deck like students in a classroom. They exchanged looks of confusion every now and then and tried to piece together the connection between them.

Mitsuro was the first to ask, "Do you know what this is about?"

"Mr. Pegasus recently sponsored the opening of a new dueling tower and decided to impart some of the knowledge he gained during his years as an archaeologist."

"Why us?" Numbers asked.

"Having access to student files regarding records and so forth, he chose the top ten students from the academy."

Hillary hesitantly raised a hand. "Um… I'm not in the top ten."

"And Matt is not here," Darius added.

Dr. West acknowledged the concerns and offered his answer: "According to the records, Matt is nowhere near the top ten duelists, and I suspect that is one reason the offer was not extended to him. With regards to your specific rank, Hillary; Industrial Illusions uses more detailed criteria than Duel Academy does to figure out the rank of a duelist. Including such subjective factors as finesse, composure, and a heavier focus on grades than dueling record, you come out at number eight. And really, an increase of only three ranks is entirely plausible with your growth. A few other students were extended an invitation, but they chose not to go for personal reasons."

Bryan held out his hand to collect a high five from Hillary, and then he continued down the line. "This is awesome, guys. We're the best of the best!"

Lucy asked Dr. West, "So this really is just like a semester abroad, except it won't last a full semester?"

"Precisely." He glanced at the TV next to his desk and remembered something he wanted to share. "Oh, I almost forgot. Why don't I just show you this?" He inserted a DVD into the TV and stepped back as it started to play.

When the screen loaded, it revealed the eighty-three-year-old face of Maximilian Pegasus. His hair was perfect and lined his face like shining silver, and the toll age took on his skin was remarkably minimal. Only his right eye was visible, just like in all his pictures, and he had a rather devilish smirk—the very slightest of grins—on his face.

"Whoa," Bryan said with a wince. "Take a step back from the camera, why don't you? Some faces just should _not_ get that close up."

"Don't be rude," Numbers berated him.

Lucy defended him with, "Why? He can't hear us through the TV."

The aged face began to talk in a smooth, almost effeminate voice. It was the kind of voice that reeked of luxury and decadence.

"Greetings, my fellows of Duel Academy. I am Maximilian Pegasus, the founder of Industrial Illusions and creator of the Duel Monsters card game."

"I thought he looked familiar," Bryan instantly joked. Mitsuro chopstick-smacked him and told him to turn off the commentary.

Pegasus's voice oddly paused just long enough for Bryan to settle again, almost as if he predicted a joke right at that moment. Continuing, he announced, "My newest development—the Thelemic Pantheon—will soon be home to a new, private institution aimed at duelists of all ages who wish to learn more about the history of my game and the ancient cultures that contributed to its creation. From the mystical rituals of the Sumerian Empire to the kingly contests of the Ancient Egyptians, the culture of Duel Monsters runs rich and deep. You are invited as my guests to complete the first, two-week-long course and set the tone for the future of my new program."

As everyone soaked in the glory of an invitation to be the guest of the most famous name in all of Duel Monsters, Bryan had to ask, "He wasted a whole DVD for that?"

"Waste or not," Dr. West said, "you must recognize this is a true honor and the chance of a lifetime that do many duelists would pay through the nose to achieve. I believe you six will make the finest representatives for Duel Academy."

"I certainly appreciate the opportunity to cloak in his knowledge," Darius replied.

"Soak in," Bryan quickly corrected him. "I'm game. Do you think there are prizes if I get the highest grade?" Lucy smacked his arm to shut him up.

Mitsuro looked somewhat troubled by the thought of leaving her second home for two weeks. Hillary kindly asked her, "Are you worried about being homesick? You aren't required to go."

The navy brat forced a smile back. "No, I'll go. He's right; it's an amazing honor, and two weeks really isn't that long. Duel Academy will still be here when we get back." Under her breath, she added, "I hope."

* * *

Ghost was taken aback by the news. His generally neutral face now wore a slight pout. "My Horseman of Death is being sent away for two weeks? What a bother. My plan is ready to move forward, and now a wrench is thrown into the works."

"Let me go break his legs," Logan offered. "That ought to keep him here for a while longer. At least long enough to miss the helicopter ride."

Abel scoffed, "You have the subtlety of a tank. What if Death is being sent away for a reason?" He looked to the Ghost. "You should have taken away his free will and let the Shadows control him."

"He is much stronger this way," Ghost assured his subordinates. "Why does the term Thelemic Pantheon sound so familiar?"

Abel pointed out, "The building was designed by Maximilian Pegasus."

"That's not it. That old man was strong once upon a time. He can hardly be considered a threat to the plan. There must be something else…"

Shrugging, Logan offered, "I heard the old guy hired those authors Sarah Morley and Salman Nagari to help run the place."

"Authors?" Abel repeated.

"Yeah. They wrote that weird book about how magic and Duel Monsters can provide people with a purpose in life. Hogwash, I think."

Ghost began to chuckle, softly at first but with growing intensity. "Morley and Nagari, huh?" His chuckling evolved into full-on laughter as he burst out.

"Uh, Ghost?"

Finally, he settled and regained his composure. "Forgive me. I only wonder what those two might be planning. Perhaps they seek to stop me. No, they cannot possibly know my plan. No… It is much more likely that their goal mirrors my own."

Able and Logan exchanged glances. The latter asked, "Doesn't that mean that taking Death away from us will spoil the plan? What about the purification of mankind and the return of God?"

"Patience," Ghost requested. "Everything is still in order right now. Although the plan originally called for Death to remain close by, knowing he and his girlfriend go to join the creator of Duel Monsters only makes me that much more confident that our plan will succeed."

* * *

Charlie was only a young man when he started his job as a personal aide. He came from a broken family—his mother died when he was a teenager and his father ran off when he was a kid. Initially, he was quiet and rather subservient to anyone holding a higher position, but as he settled into his job, he became more assertive and viewed the others more as colleagues than superiors. He earned the respect of his colleagues and became like the son the boss never had. With such weight supporting him, he gladly bore much of the responsibility of the company while remaining intensely loyal to the man whose name was on the side of the building.

He stepped into the boss's office despite the 'Do Not Disturb' sign that always adorned the outside of the door. The boss was hard at working, scribbling away as he transcribed every note of progress that popped into his almost computer-like brain.

"Mr. Kaiba, sir. Your ten o'clock is here."

"Fine," grumbled the aged voice of a man with more power than most even dream of. "Send him in."

* * *

_So I was a little off last time when I predicted how far this chapter would reach. _Next_ chapter will get into the actual Thelemic Pantheon building and begin that part of the story. What I haven't decided yet is whether to run the Thelemic Pantheon all the way to the end and then head back to Duel Academy, or maybe to intersperse the chapters to keep you up-to-date on each story, additionally making any spoilers less spoiling. Any thoughts?_

_Credits:_  
_Darius Mantzios...tiramisu19_  
_Jason Maxim...Maxim and Knight_  
_Nathan Zislaw...Mavrik Zero_  
_Hillary Delaney...Nodqfan144_  
_Lili Von...Happy2BMe_  
_Carter Jade...Jaden2010  
Mitsuro Itachu...Titanic X  
Sean Bivins...DarkVestroia2_  
_Ivy Roaks...Mental Panda_  
_Hayley Wilson...TeamRocketDiva_  
_Maikeru Stone...onyxshade7  
Victor Rocks & Abel Shinzou...Iron-Arm-V_  
_Alister Kazama & Jessica Parks...ZaneKazama001_  
_Synthia Spencer...Madly Chessur_  
_Leila & Linear Lockhart...Windraider__  
Logan Wilson...MercWithTheMouth13_  
_Allen Tebaro...Nouva17  
Tai Ishihara...ZAFT Prime  
Cain Valin...FE96jAFFAR_  
_Everyone else so far...YamiRuss_


	11. To Santa Barbara

Chapter 11: To Santa Barbara

The site for the Thelemic Pantheon was Santa Barbara, California—the American Riviera. The city was nestled comfortably between the Pacific Ocean and the Santa Ynez Mountains, and it boasted a bustling population of nearly 90,000. A city well cited for being a popular tourist resort destination, the new building joined the University of California, Santa Barbara and Antioch University to become the sixth educational institution in the city.

Lucy was almost intimidated by the appearance of the building. It was set like a round, seven-tiered tower, each level with a slightly smaller circumference than the one below. The ground space was fairly minimal, but the floor space was improved by the structure of the tower. Lucy didn't get to see the upper levels early on. When she entered the building, she was ushered toward the center of the tower, where the dormitories were located. She and Mitsuro were given keys to share a room while Hillary and Numbers paired up for a separate room; Bryan and Darius shared a room around the bend.

The rooms themselves were decent in size, although odd in shape. Because the rooms were positioned around the tower's center, the door side of the room had distinct bowing in it; namely, the corners around the door were farther from the back wall than the door itself was. Looking at it gave Lucy the feeling of one of those cognitive perception tests, but she set her bed up to look the other way and figured she'd either get used to it or be glad to leave it in two weeks.

"Interesting effect there," Mitsuro said, staring at the wall. "It's like the door is creeping forward. It almost gives the wall a face."

"Thank you, in advance, for the nightmares," Lucy remarked. She turned to the fair-sized bureau and began sorting her clothes and other effects into the drawers.

When she finished, Mitsuro was kind enough to point out, "There are no windows in this room. I mean, there couldn't be. Where would they show us? Into the next person's bedroom?"

Lucy shuddered at the idea of anyone else being able to see her change clothes. "A bit friendly for my taste," she commented. And then she realized that Mitsuro was spending more time focusing on the design of the room than on unpacking. "Where's your stuff?"

Mitsuro pointed to the drawers. "Right there. I only brought one bag."

"For two weeks?"

"We have access to laundry machines. And otherwise, a few books and notebooks are all I need to keep myself occupied between classes. I also brought some money to spend exploring the city. What else do I need?"

Lucy admitted the point was fair, though she needed a lot more stuff just in the way of keeping her hair the way she liked it than Mitsuro did. In the end, Mitsuro learned from the Navy to be prepared to go at a moment's notice, which usually meant minimal supplies. Lucy had no such training and no envy toward it.

"Where to first?" Lucy asked when she was unpacked to her current satisfaction.

"We have a meeting in the main classroom," Mitsuro pointed out. "I guess we go there first. I'll go see if the others are ready or need any help unpacking."

There was clearly a small elevator in the very center of the building, but it was locked or turned off or something and wouldn't move at all. There didn't seem to be any stairs going up, either. But it wasn't necessary. The main classroom was only a few halls away from the dorms. With the building as small as it was, it didn't take long to get anywhere. And everywhere on the floor was wheelchair accessible, making Hillary's trip an easy one.

The classroom was much more typical in its arc shape than the dorms were. It looked just like a regular lecture hall, except for the hexagram poster on the wall behind the podium, and it came complete with students waiting patiently for the teachers to arrive. The selection of students participating in the program was pretty wide in range, though the group didn't number all that high.

One guy was very short and wore a purple hoodie to cover his head so all Lucy could see was wild, black hair sticking out the front. She couldn't even see much of his face because of the hair. Clinging closely behind the guy was a very short girl with a baby face and a pair of the largest eyes Lucy ever saw. She also did the twin ponytail thing, which only added to her child-like appearance.

One guy was very tall and pretty, but he was so skinny Lucy imagined snapping him in half if she tried to hug him. He was wearing a white shirt with a red vest. Who wears a vest anywhere outside of a wedding party?

Another short and petite girl, again with black hair and eyes, made Lucy start to feel fat. She looked very fashionable with lots of black and silver with dabs of purple accessories. And the short girl with the violet hair and the loose clothes made Lucy self-conscious, as well. Lucy herself wore loose clothing, but it was to hide her bust size; the purple-haired girl seemed to do it to hide a flat chest. And there was just something about her…

"The people here are quite diverse," Hillary commented.

"I have the billies," Darius agreed.

"Willies," Bryan corrected him. "This freak show still doesn't match the ghosts wandering around Duel Academy. Nothing to worry about."

The class size reached sixteen, which was actually much smaller than Lucy anticipated. Between cancellations, booking issues, and general disinterest in such specialized knowledge, the total attendance of the course was only sixty percent of the invitees. Ages ranged almost as much as appearances. Lucy assumed the fifty-something woman in the front was the instructor for the course, but Numbers pointed her to the two Middle Eastern people sitting off to the side. They weren't being cliquey; they were waiting for all the students to show before they rose and stepped up to the front podium.

The woman spoke first. "Good evening, everyone. I am Starza Almasi and this is my colleague Salman Nazari. We will be your instructors for this course on the ancient history of Duel Monsters. We'll start by giving you a brief background on us."

Starza Almasi was a slim, black woman whose height didn't even match Lucy's. She was so slim that Lucy felt like she could stand in front of two Starzas and no one would be able to see them. Starza wore a flowing, pink thobe embroidered with flowers and beads. It looked like breathable fabric that probably felt great in the heat. She definitely fit better in the mold of a scholar than of a duelist.

Salman Nazari was very similar in overall tone. He was slightly taller and had a little more mass on him, but Lucy instantly compared every guy she met to Bryan, and relatively Salman had the body of a child. He had olive skin complimented by his very black hair, which he kept medium in length and slicked straight back. His full beard, which he kept well trimmed, was also very attractive on his face. He wore a white tunic with sleeves loose enough to be pajamas to an American or a way to keep cool for someone from the Middle East.

Both instructors were graduates of Glasgow University with studies in humanities, specifically classical civilization. Their studies focused on history, literature, art, and languages of the Mediterranean region. A study of mythology and religion became their primary focus as they collaborate on several theses, dissertations, and manuscripts. Beginning with study-abroad programs during school and continuing after graduation, Starza and Salman traveled the Mediterranean world extensively, visiting cultural and religious centers for the artifacts and studying texts and interviews with missionaries and officials.

"The theory we have championed alongside many great anthropologists is one called _primacy of ritual_. In essence, we believe evidence shows that ancient rituals gave rise to religious belief."

"From birth, man has a desire to believe in magic," Salman explained. "He believes the world's laws of nature can be manipulated by his own powers and actions—rituals, as we call them. But this kind of magic turns out to be false, and so man turns to some invisible entity which may or may not possess the kind of control he once believed he possessed himself. Oftentimes this new entity is the same as one explained by his father, who learned from his father. These men together explain their former, magical beliefs by claiming mythological homage."

Starza motioned toward Lucy at random. "Ms. Mercer? Would you please explain that in simpler terms?"

She was caught a little off guard, but Lucy felt confident she understood the conversation so far. "It sounds like the essence of primacy of ritual is that people use religion to justify absurd beliefs. People perform the rituals of their forebears, although the original reason is lost to time; religion arises as a way to accommodate traditional behavior with modern belief."

"Precisely."

At that moment, the girl with the violet hair spoke up, though her voice came hardly stronger than a mumble. "That theory must upset anyone religious—especially the leaders."

"Indeed, that is the case," Starza admitted. "And that segues very well into the underlying theme of this course. The history of Duel Monsters, the strategic game most often picked up by children who still believe in magic, is steeped in controversy."

Salman continued her point. "Many cards printed by Industrial Illusions and Kaiba Corp. over the years include the names of figures from ancient mythologies and religions. Some of the easiest examples include the well known Egyptian God Cards and the Sacred Beast cards that were, until recently, kept at Duel Academy. Ra was worshipped in Egypt as the sun god, and Raviel was an archangel in the Jewish Kabbalah."

"Excuse me," spoke the girl with the black-and-silver ensemble, "but the archangel's name is Raziel."

"Yes, that's very different," Salman remarked sarcastically. "Continuing with the introduction… Industrial Illusions hired a staff of lawyers and ethicists who censored the names of many Duel Monsters figures over the years—even the popular ones. Surely everyone here has heard of the Dark Magician? Originally, its name was Black Magician, but ethicists decided that such an obvious link to black magic was too controversial for the game."

Starza continued, "Symbol choice has also been marked by ethicists for censorship. Have you ever seen this symbol on the face of a card?" She pointed to the wall poster showing a hexagram—a six-pointed star. "And how many of you have seen this?" The poster next to it was a picture of four arrows connected by a white strand of magnetic energy. "The pentagram and hexagram were considered too closely connected to religion and black magic, and so this image of the Spellbinding Circle replaces them in most public printings."

"These are some of the topics we will touch upon during the course of this instruction. I'm not certain exactly how much we'll get to with just two weeks available to us, but we will do our best to cover the wide gamut of Duel Monsters rituals. Now, are there any questions?"

"Just one," Bryan said as he pointed one finger in the air—that kind of smug hand-raising that some kids do. "When do we meet Pegasus?"

Salman nodded. "I understand many of you were drawn to this course by Mr. Pegasus's personal invitation. He has informed us that he will make a brief appearance this weekend, but he will accompany us through the entire day next week Friday as we wrap up the course. Are there any other questions?"

No one else had a question for Salman and Starza, but Lucy whispered one to Hillary. "He did say _many_ of us were invited, right? Not all?"

"Yes. Doesn't that make you feel special?"

"Too special," Lucy agreed. Why would he intervene at all?

Starza brought up one final point of order. "Because this building has just finished construction, there are still some kinks in the electronic system. That doesn't mean you'll have to fight for hot water, but it does mean the satellite signals don't reach your Duel Disks easily. Industrial Illusions will schedule times to force a direct connection with the building, but because of the power required, those are the only times you will be able to duel with your Duel Disks. The option remains open to duel on the tabletop, however." Grumblings among the students indicated that few really enjoyed that idea.

Salman rubbed his hands together and said, "As much fun as it would be to get started right away, we are aware that it is very late now and most of you would like to get a good night's sleep before we get started tomorrow. Are there any questions right now?" No one indicated a question of any kind. "Very well. For those of you who do not sleep as early, I recommend spending some time this evening getting to know your classmates."

Lucy knew that language. Basically, Salman was saying getting to know one another was a good idea, but not something he would do in their shoes. He struck Lucy as an awkward, unsociable kind of guy, but a nice guy altogether. Starza seemed a little more forceful, but still like someone who would just as soon lock herself in her room and study as teach a class.

As the students got up and began shuffling out of the classroom and toward the dormitories, the tall pretty, skinny guy sauntered toward the Duel Academy crowd. Lucy was, at first, concerned what might happen if the young man tried to hit on her with Bryan so close by. But at the last moment, the man veered and stepped right up to Mitsuro. From the look on his face, he was into her. From the look on _her_ face, they were former associates, and not of the friendly variety.

"Good evening, Ms. Itachu," he said, trying to sound very formal. "It is a great pleasure to see you again. I do hope our time apart was good for you."

"All time away from you is good for me," she retorted, prompting the young man to laugh heartily and admit he left himself open for that one.

He looked from Mitsuro to Lucy and back for just a moment. With a big smile on his face, he held his hand out to Lucy and said, "Pardon my manners. I'm Sora Mikano. If you're with Mitsuro, then you must be from Duel Academy, too." He chuckled and added, "I'm guessing. You don't really look like a Naval soldier."

"We're not," Lucy agreed with a soft smile. "We're all just students. I'm Lucy Mercer. This is Bryan."

"Intimidated to meet you," Sora commented playfully.

Numbers and Darius introduced themselves in kind. Hillary also offered a handshake and a smile. "I'm Hillary. Where are you from, Sora?"

"Actually, I live in Santa Barbara. That's why I came over here." He looked back at Lucy with a boyish grin. "I'd love the opportunity to show _you_ around. Or perhaps see a movie."

Lucy was taken aback. It wasn't incredibly uncommon for guys to ask her out, but it was rare for them to try so soon after meeting her. And she couldn't help feeling flattered considering how beautiful his face was. But her response was easy.

"I'm sorry, but I have a boyfriend." Her eyes drifted to Bryan as she spoke.

But Sora seemed unfazed. "I'm not trying to spoil your relationship or pretend that it's possible to reenact _Serendipity_ in the duration of a two-week class on Duel History." He put his hands together and equipped the cutest puppy-dog eyes Lucy ever saw. "Truly, and sincerely, I just want the chance to get to know something about the most beautiful woman in the world."

The flattering effect tripled and threatened to incapacitate Lucy.

"Plus, your friends are welcome to come, too."

Lucy smiled to let Sora know that she had no issue with him as a person but that her answer was based on her own personal reasons. "I'm sorry. It's late and I think I'm just going to stay in tonight."

"I understand," Sora replied. "That was incredibly forward of me and I apologize for making you feel awkward. Please, have a good evening and know that any of you may call upon me if you wish for a local tour of the area." With that, Sora gave a quick handshake to everyone again and waved as he left the classroom.

"That was fun to watch," Numbers commented. "Awkwardness is so much fun to see someone else experience."

On that note, Lucy poked Bryan in the chest. "He just asked me to a movie. Don't you have anything to say about that?"

"Bring me some Sno-Caps" was his response. Lucy gave him an annoyed look, which was her cue that she didn't like that answer. For some reason, she wanted him to feel jealous. "Well, are you planning to leave me for him?"

"No, but that's not the point."

Bryan countered, "I think that's exactly the point. He's not wrong for thinking you are the most beautiful woman in the world. If I were in his shoes, I'd ask you out, too. It's going to take more than a little sweet talk to change the way you see things." Lucy couldn't decide whether to be flattered by Bryan's views and faith or irritated that he didn't immediately spring into defensive mode.

"Don't be fooled by his sweet talk," Mitsuro grumbled.

"What do you mean?"

She huffed. "Sora and I have run into one another before, and he's got a secret. He's a telepath."

"Are you serious?" Numbers asked. "Like in _X-Men_?"

"That doesn't make sense," Hillary agreed. "People don't have psychic abilities."

"And cards can't put people in the hospital," Mitsuro pointed out ironically. "Everything Sora said just now was aimed at winning Lucy over and giving her a brilliant first impression of him."

Lucy didn't believe in psychic powers. True, a few of those responses were oddly on the mark with comments she made to herself mentally, but it wasn't possible for someone to hear her words unless she spoke them aloud. That old myth that humans use no more than ten percent of their brains? Completely bogus as she learned in her neuroscience class. (Speaking from an evolutionary view, humans constantly adapt to their environments and lose functionality that doesn't serve a purpose; why would they still have massive brains if they didn't use it all?)

"Even if I believed telepathy was real," Lucy continued, "what was the point of introducing himself?"

Mitsuro shrugged. "I don't know. He's always got an agenda. Every word that comes out of his mouth is intended to lead closer to his goal. He's planning something, and for whatever reason, he's targeting you."

* * *

_Back again after a brief hiatus. I feel better overall, though I admit this chapter is not my favorite. Turns out this "semester abroad" gimmick is tougher than I realized it would be. Oh, well. I know where we're going with this. The next chapter will jump right in and explore Sora's alleged telepathy. More importantly, if he really is psychic and knows everyone's cards, how can he be beaten?_

_Credits:_  
_Darius Mantzios...tiramisu19_  
_Jason Maxim...Maxim and Knight_  
_Nathan Zislaw...Mavrik Zero_  
_Hillary Delaney...Nodqfan144_  
_Lili Von...Happy2BMe_  
_Carter Jade...Jaden2010  
Mitsuro Itachu & Sora Mikano...Titanic X  
Sean Bivins...DarkVestroia2_  
_Ivy Roaks...Mental Panda_  
_Hayley Wilson...TeamRocketDiva_  
_Maikeru Stone...onyxshade7  
Victor Rocks & Abel Shinzou...Iron-Arm-V_  
_Alister Kazama & Jessica Parks...ZaneKazama001_  
_Synthia Spencer...Madly Chessur_  
_Leila & Linear Lockhart & Azure Windwalker...Windraider__  
Logan Wilson...MercWithTheMouth13_  
_Allen Tebaro...Nouva17  
Tai Ishihara...ZAFT Prime  
Cain Valin...FE96jAFFAR_  
_Kusuma Megumi & Ringo Takagame...VStriker_  
_Rachel Avila...Amourenvie_  
_Everyone else so far...YamiRuss_


	12. Telepathy or Intuition?

Chapter 12: Telepathy or Intuition?

Lunch was really good, but for some reason, Lucy just wasn't hungry. Matt's message was cryptic, yet still unnerving. Obviously Bryan knew how to decode it, but he wasn't willing to share the explanation. She continued to stare at the words, mentally repeating them to herself in Matt's voice, hoping she might pick up on the tone.

"_Some duelists win on their own power. Some have to borrow it from someone else. Maybe Bryan and I have a little more in common now."_

"Working on a riddle?" Sora asked as he slipped into the chair directly beside Lucy, a little closer than she was comfortable with. "I'm pretty good at them if you want any help."

Lucy quickly closed her phone. "No. Just reading a text from a friend back at school."

Sora grinned with that boyish charm of his. "Given that furl in your brow, he must be a confusing guy."

"Who says it's a 'he'?" Lucy intended to be coy, but as soon as the words escaped her lips, she thought about what Mitsuro said—about how Sora was telepathic. As ridiculous as that sounded, she couldn't help paying a little attention to that nagging voice. And Sora made a slightly guilty expression even though Lucy didn't say anything.

"What's wrong?"

She shook her head slowly. "Mitsuro said something about you yesterday."

"Was it about how good-looking I am and how skilled I am as a duelist and how every time she sees me, she gets weak in the knees?"

"No," Lucy chuckled. "Not even close. Which is funny, because she says you're psychic."

"Psychic?" he repeated unbelievingly. "Are you serious? That's ridiculous. And impossible."

"I know. That's what I said."

"Well, then you must be as much smarter than Mitsuro as you are prettier than her." He waited to watch Lucy blush, but she never did. She only gave a nod and a curt "thank you." And so Sora continued by saying, "I don't know if you like to study in groups or if you all have a study group set up already…"

"I generally study in small groups," she admitted. "Usually just one or two people after I've already studied on my own. Just to quiz each other—that kind of thing."

"That sounds great. Do you think I could get in on that?"

"It's possible. I'll talk to Bryan and Numbers about it."

"Nice. The Lockdown study group. Well, let me know. I'm going to step out for a minute before the afternoon session starts."

Ridiculous as the idea was, could Mitsuro be right about Sora? If it were true, what kind of telepath was he? Was he the kind who could hear her thoughts as clearly as if she were speaking? Or was he maybe like one of the X-Men, capable of completely digging through a person's mind with enough focus?

Each idea sounded more absurd than the last, but one thing was true: She didn't mention anything about Team Lockdown or its members.

* * *

It was too bad for Mitsuro that she told her schoolmates about her relationship with Sora. If Hillary were unaware the two knew one another, her first thought when she saw Sora probably wouldn't have been about how Mitsuro seemed to disappear a lot lately. Unfortunately, he had to figure out where to look all by himself.

He found her on his second try. Santa Barbara hosted several beachfront parks, but the nearest one was a large city beach called Leadbetter Beach. It was located next to the Santa Barbara Harbor and was a popular site for catamaran sailors and windsurfers. Mitsuro was sitting in a near-fetal position in the shade of a palm tree. It seemed logical to find a Navy brat near the water. It was not logical that she wore denim shorts, sunglasses, a green bandana, and her Duel Academy jacket.

"Aren't you hot?" Sora asked her, hoping to startle her. No such luck; she saw in her periphery the sand he kicked up with that last step. "You can take that question literally or metaphorically as you please. It works either way."

She used her right hand to rub her palm across her face. "What do you want, Sora?"

He made a face at her. "You've been crying? Or is that sweat in your eyes?" When she didn't respond, he determined, "Ah. Must be that time of the year again." She scowled at him, but he chuckled and said, "I didn't mean your feminine problem. That's more of a year-round thing. I meant the anniversary of your brother's death."

"He's not dead," she retorted quickly.

He shrugged as he sat down beside her. "I'm sorry to be the first to say this, but anyone missing for six years is probably dead." Before she could insist on his well being, he continued with, "You know what _I_ can't understand? Why do you want to attend the school where he disappeared? Sure, you might find some clue to his whereabouts—or at least what happened to him before he died—but it's been three years already. I think it's time to lay his memory to rest."

"Go away," was her eloquent reply.

He chuckled and lay back on the sand, feeling the warmth beneath his thin body. "I would, but it turns out you've been spreading rumors about me."

"It isn't a _rumor_ if it's true."

"Oh, really?" He sat up and looked directly into her eyes. "What kind of telepathy am I supposed to have? Can I hear your thoughts, or do I just translate every miniscule body language clue into a probabilistic thought? Do you have any verifiable proof that I can read your mind?"

She scowled and put her face close enough to his that she spit on him a little as she spoke. "I experienced it. I could feel it happening. And you're going to act like it was coincidence that you happened to know exactly how to respond to each card I played?"

"I'm just that good," he asserted.

"I could feel it every time your thoughts entered my head."

He pouted and ran his fingers gently along her hairline. "Aw, poor baby. You do know that _thought insertion_ and _thought removal_ are signs of schizophrenia, don't you? Maybe we should get you to a therapist."

She scoffed. "I can prove it if you'd like me to. Just be warned that I might ruin your life in the process."

He laughed at her bluff and hopped to his feet with ease. "What do you think people are more likely to believe? That I can hear people's thoughts or that I can read their body language?" Realizing she lacked any real response, he offered a hand to her feet. "Class will start shortly. Care to join me?"

"Care to take a long walk off a short pier?"

"Touchy. I guess I'll walk back solo. If it makes you feel any better, you are harder to read than everyone else I've met." It didn't help. "Oh, well. See you later, toots." He clicked his tongue after he spoke and reveled in the irritated growl Mitsuro let out. She was so much fun to torment, and she made it so easy.

* * *

Lucy shifted in her seat during the duel. She couldn't help it. Sora was actually keeping a lead over Numbers, but Numbers maintained the same composure she always had. That always meant she had a backup plan ready to go.

"I'll summon Mystic Tomato (4/1400/1100)." The demonic tomato with teeth like a saw blade was the second such card Numbers played during the duel, just in case Sora didn't already know the card's effect. "I'll set one more card and end my turn."

Sora grinned at his Duel Disk for two reasons: He was just about to call Numbers' bluff, and he was a huge nerd. Sora's Duel Disk was custom designed to look like a Keyblade from the Kingdom Hearts video game franchise. Whether he was drawn to the series because of his name or he changed his name to match the series was something Mitsuro couldn't say with certainty. But that wasn't the only way Sora revealed his love for the game.

"I'll summon Heartless – Search Ghost (4/1800/700)!" The monster that faded into the air between the duelists had a perfectly round, white head capping a wispy body adorned with a purple tuxedo coat. One of the monster's yellow eyes dangled in front of its face uselessly.

"I think this card is ready for whatever your Mystic Tomato can bring." The ghostly monster disappeared momentarily, only to reappear directly behind Mitsuro's monster and wrap its long, ghostly fingers around its prey. The Tomato disappeared as if absorbed by the Search Ghost. A three-eyed critter with a body like a hairball assumed the same spot in front of Numbers. "That will end my turn right there."

Numbers 3400 – 400 = 3000: Sora 5800.

She couldn't help grinning at the field. Watching Sora's child-like passion over a video game amused her even more than the duel did. "Seeing as this is the sixth monster you've played that I've never heard of, would you please tell me what effects it has?"

"You mean other than absorbing HP and teleporting to the highest point in the room so you can't get to it? Well, Search Ghost lets me remove from play two monsters in your Graveyard when he deals Battle Damage." He chose Mystic Tomato and Mask of Darkness at the time. "As an ongoing effect, you can't remove monsters from either Graveyard from play."

What is it that's not quite arrhythmia, but it definitely causes one's heart to skip a few beats and feel lodged in the wrong place? It affected Numbers at exactly the moment Sora stopped talking. She had only one card in her hand—Chaos Emperor Dragon – Envoy of the End—but she couldn't summon it because she needed to remove cards from her Graveyard to do so.

"Is there a problem?" Sora asked. "You've got Sangan (3/1000/600) on the field. You can't be that bad off."

She forced herself to take a deep breath. "No. I'm okay." She drew her next card and was disappointed to see Cards from the Sky, which would be helpful if she had a different card in her hand. "I'll set one more card and switch Sangan (600) to defense mode."

When Sora drew, he looked at Numbers' field for a moment, occasionally losing his concentration and looking past her at Lucy in the stands. He knew exactly why Lucy wore loose clothes, but he wondered if that actually fooled anyone. Maybe if she were ugly, no one would care how endowed she was. But she was easily model material, especially if she'd be willing to show off that body of hers. He'd really love a chance to see it.

"Are you going to make a move?" Numbers asked him.

"Just biding my time," he spoke, still looking at Lucy. He looked back at the field and stood up straight. "I've decided to call your bluff." That news didn't visibly make Numbers nervous, but he knew she wasn't pleased to hear it. "I'll activate Keyblader's Call." A sword shaped like a key with a golden handle protruded from the ground. "By sending two level-four monsters from my hand to the Graveyard, I can summon Sora, the Keyblade Master (8/2700/2500)."

Just like the card's namesake, the monster standing opposite Numbers was a boy wearing black clothes, with distinct sections of red and yellow, and shoes big enough to cover clown feet. His hair was spiky and his grin was friendly yet confident, with piercing blue eyes that portrayed the experience he gained at such a young age.

"To begin, Search Ghost (1800) will attack Sangan (600)." The Heartless teleported across the field once more and wrapped the critter in its long fingers.

Owing to Sangan's effect, Numbers placed Necro Gardna (600) in her hand.

"And now my deck's star player Sora will end this duel." Hologram Sora grabbed the Keyblade in the ground and pulled it up over his shoulder. He held it two-handed by his side for a moment before he darted across the field and cut straight through Numbers and her Life Points.

"I still have a few points left," Numbers pointed out.

Sora cocked an eyebrow. "Oh? Well, this Sora has a special effect: If I discard a Spell, he inflicts 500 points of damage directly to you." Holding his Keyblade in front of him like a cannon, Hologram Sora blasted a small fireball directly at Numbers.

Numbers 3000 – 2700 – 500 = 0: Sora 5800.

Needless to say, Numbers was disappointed to have her strategy stifled right when she had everything set up perfectly. But this was not the first loss she ever suffered. Even the very creator of Duel Monsters failed to hold a perfect record through his career. She graciously accepted the bold play Sora made in calling her bluff and shook his hand, congratulating him on a well fought duel.

"Beating the leader of the Duel Academy branch of Team Lockdown was no simple task," he reassured her. "At any step, the duel could have turned around. I just made some incredibly lucky plays."

"Well, those unique Kingdom Hearts cards don't hurt, either," she said. "They've got some pretty useful effects. Where did you get them?"

"I won a Design-Your-Own-Cards contest Industrial Illusions held just a few years back. They printed my cards and let me test run them against some local champions. I lost the first duel while I adjusted to the deck, but I've won pretty consistently since then."

"That's an amazing story. I'm very jealous of you, all of a sudden."

As was Lucy. She always wanted to design a card, but drawing pictures was all she could ever do with any level of pride. Effects were much more difficult for her. She created a one-card version of Exodia, but it only took one mock duel to figure out how ridiculous that would be for Gameplay. After that, she pretty much stopped making up card effects and just resorted to drawing. She and Ivy—one of her teammates from Team Lockdown—actually put together a card based on Bryan. It was called Bryan, Stallion of Duel Academy; it boasted 5000 ATK and had the ability to attack all monsters on the field simultaneously while negating other monsters' effects. Even Bryan admitted it was a little bit stacked.

But Sora's cards seemed much more reasonable. She wondered if he designed them by himself or if Industrial Illusions took a few creative liberties with the card effects after declaring Sora the winner.

And it seemed she would get to ask him. He approached and stood before her, tall and proud of his display. "How was it?" he asked rhetorically.

"Very impressive," Lucy admitted.

Casting her a sideways grin, Sora asked Mitsuro, "Were you equally impressed?"

"No. I've seen your deck. And I already know how you managed to call Numbers' bluff every single time."

Sora chuckled loudly. "You and your theories. Psychic powers! Haven't you ever seen that show _Psych_? Every psychic trick he pulls is a fake. He's just really hyper observant and intuitive. It's the same thing here."

"It does make more sense," Lucy agreed softly.

Mitsuro scowled, mostly at Sora but a little at Lucy for doubting her. Still, she leaned close to Lucy and whispered, "Go ahead."

Lucy put on a smile. To Sora, she explained, "I was certain Numbers was going to win, but Mitsuro bet me one date that you would beat her instead." She sighed before adding, "Bryan is still my boyfriend. I promise nothing more than a little time spent with you, okay?"

Sora's face was beaming. "I wouldn't ask anything more. One slow walk along the beach and back will be it. Of course, maybe we'll stop somewhere along the way and get some cotton candy or something."

That sounded like it would be a perfect first date if she were truly looking for someone new, and that made Lucy feel all the guiltier for accepting. But she agreed to give this a try. And that required being alone with Sora for a little while.

* * *

The beach was very pretty in the evening. The sky was cloudless, and the haze on the oceanic horizon created a perfect, harmonic glow of colors, the image enough to give Lucy a warm feeling. The sand shone a soft shade of yellow; as inviting as it looked, Lucy felt compelled to take in the beach by removing her shoes and indulging the warm sand between her toes. She was really warm with her jacket on, but she wasn't comfortable enough with Sora yet to take it off. At least there was a gentle breeze to help keep her cool. She truly cherished the experience.

And Darius's Greek blood helped him blend in well as he followed the pair, although it was strange to see him wearing a T-shirt. By keeping an eye on Sora, Darius would try to find any kind of evidence one way or another about Sora's telepathy. With how well Darius blended, Sora would have to be psychic even to notice him.

As they walked down the beach, the topic generally hung around dueling and dating. Sora found a way to combine the topics by asking about what drew Lucy to Bryan and how they met. She told Sora briefly about the Guardian Duelers, although she left out a few details about the god cards.

The conversation forced her to think about the disappearance of the god cards, and how they obviously didn't disappear permanently because Bryan used Uria in the recent School Duel. She wondered if maybe Bryan and Matt intentionally hid the cards. Of course, she couldn't begrudge them their feelings considering how the shadows sealed inside Obelisk the Tormentor basically brainwashed her for a while.

But more to the point of the date, she told Sora that she was truly happy with Bryan.

"But you're not sure how long that will last," he said.

Lucy looked offended by his words. "Why would you say that?"

"Your words are hesitant, your gaze keeps shifting when you speak, and you keep touching your arm. These are all signs of uncertainty at the least—lying at the most. You deserve someone less wishy-washy than him. Someone less moody."

Annoyed, she scoffed, "What, are you reading my mind?"

He suddenly seemed serious as he stopped and looked into her eyes. "Would it be so terrible if I were psychic?" He ran his fingers through her hair seductively, massaging her scalp in the process. "Having someone who knows what you want—who knows what's wrong? Someone who can anticipate your whims?" He moved in close and rubbed his nose gently against hers. "Someone who knows exactly what you want to say without forcing you to say it."

Lucy felt weak suddenly, and she couldn't resist when Sora's lips planted on hers. The kiss was gentle at first, but it grew to a perfect firmness. She could have lost herself in that kiss if not for Sora's wandering hand. The self-consciousness immediately pulled Lucy back to the whole situation. She turned her head while pushing against his chest.

"That wasn't supposed to happen. And it can't happen again." She held tightly to her shoes and ran back toward the Thelemic Pantheon building.

Sora remained alone on the beach, a little stunned but still with a grin on his face. He watched her run and enjoyed the view. He definitely broke through her first barrier.

"You're welcome." Sora was slow to turn because he already recognized Rachel Avila's voice. She was a short, thin girl who wore black clothes decorated with silver designs. She had purple, hoop earrings and several purple bangles on each arm. Her eyes were almost perfectly black, although Sora detected a flash of purple energy through the irises.

"Wait. _You_ made her get so emotional?"

"Your strategy of convincing her you're not psychic was taking too long. And it failed."

"It would have worked if you hadn't jumped in right then. She's concerned about Bryan. That makes her less confident about their relationship and more vulnerable to a really cute guy who knows just what to say."

Rachel waved her hand once as if to say Sora's opinion no longer matter. "Death, forget that part of the plan. Did you find out anything about those god cards? We need them to make this work."

He sighed. "She thinks Bryan might have nine of them."

"Nine? Then there were more gods at Duel Academy."

"Yeah. Anyway, Lucy hasn't actually seen them all. She's only seen Bryan play Uria, Lord of Searing Flame. She thinks he has the rest because of a text message she got from a friend back at Duel Academy. My guess is the god cards never actually disappeared, but Bryan hid them."

"Did he bring Uria and the others with him?"

Sora shrugged. "I can't say for sure. Lucy hasn't searched his deck. She's been too worried about his personality lately."

"We don't care about that. Just find out where those cards are."

"Sure thing, Pestilence."

* * *

Bryan's dorm room door was wide open. Lucy opted to go the long way around the circular dormitory hallway to avoid passing his line of sight. She felt too guilty to look at Bryan right now. She just couldn't believe she made out with another guy. What in the world came over her?

And the worst part about it was: For just a second, she thought dating Sora—a mind reader who could tell what she was thinking—would be better.

"Hey." Bryan stepped out of his room, causing Lucy to react with a start. "That's my favorite way to be greeted by you." He was so big and tall and funny and perfect. He deserved someone more emotionally stable. "What's wrong? Did you figure out if Sora is really psychic?"

She still couldn't look him in the eye. "I think he is. But… I'm okay."

"Are you sure? You look scared."

She shook her head and forced a smile. "It's nothing. I think he just copped a feel on our fake date."

Bryan laughed. "Is he still walking after that? I did the same thing on our first date and you practically pulled my arm off." She just smiled and nodded without saying anything.

He caressed the side of her face with his hand. "Hey." Finally, she looked into his eyes. Despite his odd and inconsistent behavior of late, his eyes still seemed so warm and strong. "I love you." He leaned in and kissed her tenderly. "I always will."

And like that, the sinking feeling in her heart was gone. She couldn't even remember who Sora was or what had happened. She was lost in the feeling of Bryan's arms and the passion of a second, more passionate kiss.

_He's not psychic, but he still knows exactly what I need._

* * *

_This chapter ended up longer than expected. I plan to include an actual glimpse of one of the lectures in the next chapter. Additionally, Sora will get to complete a full-length duel while we learn a little more about Rachel and the preexisting relationship she seems to have with Sora._

_Credits:_  
_Darius Mantzios...tiramisu19_  
_Jason Maxim...Maxim and Knight_  
_Nathan Zislaw...Mavrik Zero_  
_Hillary Delaney...Nodqfan144_  
_Lili Von...Happy2BMe_  
_Carter Jade...Jaden2010  
Mitsuro Itachu & Sora Mikano...Titanic X  
Sean Bivins...DarkVestroia2_  
_Ivy Roaks...Mental Panda_  
_Hayley Wilson...TeamRocketDiva_  
_Maikeru Stone...onyxshade7  
Victor Rocks & Abel Shinzou...Iron-Arm-V_  
_Alister Kazama & Jessica Parks...ZaneKazama001_  
_Synthia Spencer...Madly Chessur_  
_Leila & Linear Lockhart & Azure Windwalker...Windraider__  
Logan Wilson...MercWithTheMouth13_  
_Allen Tebaro...Nouva17  
Tai Ishihara...ZAFT Prime  
Cain Valin...FE96jAFFAR_  
_Kusuma Megumi & Ringo Takagame...VStriker_  
_Rachel Avila...Amourenvie_  
_Everyone else so far...YamiRuss_


	13. Egyptian Religion

Chapter 13: Egyptian Religion

Salman Nazari specialized in Middle Eastern mythologies during his tenure, frequently translating manuscripts discovered during excavations and generally studying the religions that led to the eventual creation of Duel Monsters. That expertise gave him seniority with this day's lecture: Religion in Ancient Egypt.

"Religion in Egypt was polytheistic, meaning they worshipped multiple gods—as many as two thousand. A few were worshipped nationally whereas others were strictly local. Often the gods were depicted as part human, part animal; this humanity the gods possessed was a common theme you will see come up again."

Salman started up his slide show with pictures and bullet points. After the title slide, the first note page showed images of Horus, Anubis, and Osiris—each a hawk-, snake-, and jackal-headed man, respectively.

"Egyptians saw gods in constant struggle with one another. Sometimes their wars involved direct confrontation with one another, but more often they used their faithful human followers as their armies. Such clashes among the gods brought many conclusions. Ruination of cities and temples was most common. But on occasion, the clash transformed humans nearby and remade them as human gods. These people became the royal family. Believing they were descended from the gods, Egyptian Pharaohs built Ancient Egypt out of an endless sea of sand."

The next slide possessed a list of books and articles, including a few authored by Salman and Starza. "You should have read Chapters 1 and 2 about Egyptian culture in your texts last night. Here are some recommended readings if you wish for more information. We will instead focus on the priests and priestesses who guarded the Pharaohs and their families in life and in death." The following slide depicted a king seated on a throne and three robed people before him bearing staffs that seemed to hold magic.

"To be sure no invader could harm the pharaoh, while maintaining the loyalty and health of the people, the priests devised magicks that would allow them to witness a person's true nature. They drew out a person's true nature in the form of a spiritual monster called _ka_. The ka might appear as an angel if withdrawn from a pure spirit, or it may become a demon if withdrawn from one whose heart is wicked. The size, strength, and stamina of such monsters depended on the internal spiritual energy, or _ba_, of its host.

"Some of the fiercest beasts in history were born in the hearts of man. Tomb robbers were consistently brought before the pharaoh's court and submitted to a ka withdrawal as punishment for their crimes. And only the Pharaoh's priests were able to protect others from such evil. Their spectacular abilities to see into the hearts and minds of those brought before the court enabled sealing the ka into stone tablets. These stone tablets, in the far-distant future, became the inspiration for Maximilian Pegasus to drawn the very first Duel Monsters."

The slide showing examples of the powers possessed by the priests included pictures of the mythical Millennium Items that were reportedly the source of psychic powers among the pharaoh's court. Each image contained the Eye of Wedjet, an ancient symbol said to protect its bearer against the Evil Eye—the tendency for ill will to follow one for whom good things have recently occurred.

"But all that is only one version of the Egyptian religions. What makes teasing fact from fiction regarding Egyptian rituals difficult is the variety seen within Egyptian religion. Individual kings worshipped their own gods; the nobles, the merchants, the priests, and the peasants had theirs. The gods reigned, overlapped, and even merged throughout Egypt's history. Gods' dominance and even their names changed depending on the throne's interests."

The final slide showed hieroglyphics chiseled on name plates and tablets. One picture looked like a drawing of a wizard with a pointy hat and a long staff.

"Perhaps what all religions have in common with the historical telling of Duel Monsters is the power of a name. Knowing the name of the gods gave the pharaohs dominion over them. Likewise, placing the name of an enemy on a stone tablet and breaking it would bring an ill fate upon that enemy. It was this act of laying names of a person's soul—the ka—in stone that gave the priests and the pharaoh complete dominion over that spirit."

He held up a card with the image of the Dark Magician, the same monster depicted on the tablet. "Through the evolution of religion and the creativity of Industrial Illusions, we now control those very same ka through playing cards."

* * *

Bryan wasn't surprised an intuitive—reportedly psychic—guy like Sora wanted a word with him after the morning lecture. Especially given the events of the previous night that Darius opted to divulge. The question at this point was: Did Sora already know what Bryan knew? But why beat about the bush when Bryan could take the initiative and act all tough?

"I hear you tried to seduce my girlfriend. Well, you and that Goth chick."

Sora looked confused. There wasn't any malice in Bryan's voice. Clearly, that meant the Greek kid who was spying on him during his date with Lucy had a big mouth. "A woman like that takes two people to wear down."

"I know. My best friend had to whittle away at her defenses for a couple of months before I moved in and finally got the date."

"Some friend."

"Indeed. So now that we're past the small talk, why don't you ask me what you really want to know?"

Sora cracked a grin. He didn't really care about stealing Lucy's affections, anyway; he only wanted her information because he was having so much trouble reading Bryan and she was the next most likely source. But Bryan seemed willing to open up. Why not take a chance?

"The god cards. Are they in your deck?"

"No."

Sora was surprised to hear that answer considering Lucy's clear memories of seeing Bryan play Uria, Lord of Searing Flames only recently. Even if telepathy was out of the question with this guy, Sora could still read body language to know if Bryan's responses were lies. Yet Bryan let slip no tells. He didn't flinch or squirm or hold his breath or touch himself or anything.

And then he realized how he phrased the question. "What about just one of the gods?"

"Yes. I took Uria back because I am its rightful owner. The rest of the cards I left back in their hiding place."

"Is that back at Duel Academy?"

Bryan made a face. "Why don't you tell me, Psychic?"

Unable to detect the thought patterns in Bryan's conscious mind, Sora folded his arms in annoyance. Something about this guy specifically made him too strong to be read psychically.

"What is that on your arm?" Bryan was referring to Sora's Duel Disk—the one shaped like a token from _Kingdom Hearts_. When Sora moved his arm, Bryan got a better look. "Is that a Keyblade?"

"It's my Duel Disk," Sora told him.

"Why, in God's name, would you get a Duel Disk that looks like something from a video game that lacked a cohesive plot? At least make it look like the Master Sword or Xenogears."

"Hey. _Kingdom Hearts_ rules. The characters totally make up for the plot." He flipped out the top card from his deck—the Heartless – Search Ghost card he used to beat Numbers in a duel Bryan missed. "Besides, my deck was built from cards patterned after characters from the game."

Bryan cocked an eyebrow at the "special" card Sora held in front of him. "That's Kycoo the Ghost Destroyer."

Sora gasped as his entire body tensed. "No, it isn't."

"I can see it right in front of me. It says 'Kycoo the Ghost Destroyer.' Granted, I might be pronouncing it incorrectly, but I can spell it for you if you'd like."

Somehow, Bryan was able to see the truth; Sora's psychic illusions didn't work on him the way they did on everyone else.

Despite his undying love for a video game completely unrelated to Duel Monsters, Sora had to play a deck of real cards in order to use the effects he wanted from his Duel Disk. (Fake cards wouldn't register on dueling technology.) His psychic abilities allowed him to project images he wanted other people to see, but whereas everyone else saw Kingdom Hearts-themed monsters when he played, Bryan saw the real cards.

Not being a psychic to follow that thought process, all Bryan saw was Sora's surprised expression. He looked like he didn't realize his deck was built from actual cards. "Is this the first time you noticed?"

But Sora still didn't respond. Bryan's mental fortitude frightened him. How could some random student be so perfectly immune to his psychic efforts? Maybe Bryan just needed to be weakened in a real, intense duel.

Sora took a step back and engaged his Duel Disk. "You wanna go? Let's do it."

Bryan just laughed at him. "Duel Disks don't work in here except during specific times." Sora looked at his Duel Disk display and saw the blinking message "Searching for signal…"

With a frustrated grunt and growing fear that Bryan might somehow be mentally stronger, he folded his Duel Disk and whipped out his deck. "I will go tabletop on your ass!"

Just then, Rachel placed her hand on Sora's arm and startled him. He recognized the purple bangles before he recognized her. "How long were you there?"

"Long enough to know that while you want to duel Bryan as a desperate validation attempt, he doesn't really care enough about you to waste his effort." She looked to Bryan with a solemn, neutral expression. "Do you?"

Bryan narrowed his eyes. "Are you trying some Jedi mind trick on me?"

Rachel's eyes seemed to shine with a purple light as she responded, "Do you care?"

"Not really," he admitted. He flipped his backpack over his shoulder and gave both of his temporary classmates a mock, two-fingered salute. "See ya. I'm going to get my grub on." He walked away with his usual, heavy swagger.

Alone again, Rachel looked to Sora. "You let yourself get too emotional, Death."

"I'm fine," he assured her. And indeed, his voice was calm and steady again.

"Yeah, _now_ you are," she pointed out. Shaking her head, she pointed out, "You rely on your power too much. It grants you assured victory against normal people, but someone who can control a god is obviously not the same. Those cards have direct access to the collective consciousness of the Shadow Realm."

"Yeah, I remember. Huge sources of highly focused energy. Maybe that's why my power doesn't work on him. Uria might be protecting him."

"Even more reason to keep you away from him."

Now Sora looked offended. "What? Why?"

"He's too strong for you. If your powers are useless, you will lose your composure again. An emotional Horseman is a sloppy Horseman. He will beat you handily."

Much as he'd like to argue, Sora found it difficult in this case. Bryan clearly had the strength of four duelists. Neither thought interpretation nor illusion insertion would be effective against Bryan. The duel would be old-fashioned and rely entirely on luck and skill, basically rendering all Sora's time accumulating power as waste.

"So who, then? Are you going to take him down and get Uria?"

Rachel shook her head. "Emotional regulation won't be effective against him, either."

"Are you sure? You convinced him pretty easily to walk away from us."

"That's because he was already indifferent. I just nudged him along."

Sora sighed with acceptance. "Okay. Then if not us, who?"

"I recommend the twins."

* * *

Bryan slipped into his seat for the afternoon class session. This session was always in a different room from the morning sessions because it wasn't lecture-based. Usually the afternoon involved some lab work—research and projects—and quite possibly a duel or two. That depended on scheduling and whether the electronic interference around the building disappeared long enough. (The very first duel ended early because the Duel Disks lost their signals and the duel couldn't continue.) When Sora beat Numbers, it was the first full duel held for the class.

"I wonder if anyone else here is psychic," he commented to the kid with the purple hoodie covering his face. "It might make dueling more difficult again if your opponent can read your mind, too."

With only a minor twitch of the head in Bryan's direction, his neighbor said, "What are you talking about?"

"Nothing." This guy seemed really weird to Bryan because he never showed his face. He always wore the hoodie despite the temperature outside being a thousand degrees, and his black hair stuck out the front like a blooming flytrap. Even when Bryan got a decent look directly into the guy's hoodie, the hair pretty much prevented any determination of facial features.

"You're Kusuma, right?"

"You can call me Kusu," the hoodie-clad student replied.

"Why stop there? Can I call you Cuz?"

Quickly catching on to where the subject was going, Kusuma said, "Kusuma is good."

"Too late, Cuz," Bryan said just as Lucy and Hillary entered the classroom. "Ah, there you are," he said and greeted Lucy with a kiss. "I want you to meet Cuz. Cuz, this is my girlfriend Art Dodger. She's a little nervous about museums so we decided to attend a lecture series instead for our vacation." Lucy pushed him playfully.

Kusuma also chuckled. "Where do you come up with these nicknames? I heard you call Rinny by the name Shorts Buttersnaps yesterday." He shrugged only by stretching his fingers and turning his palms toward the ceiling—the sign of a very reserved guy who wasn't against speaking but wasn't going out of his way for it.

"Kusu!" His mobile shadow with the baby face and pigtails came bounding into the room and plopped down heavily into the seat on his opposite side, instantly pulling the seat closer to Kusuma's. "Guess what? You'll get to duel today!" She tapped her fingers on the desk as she spoke to make her excitement even more obvious.

"Oh, yeah? Against who?"

"Against the little guy with the big, purple hair."

"What guy with purple hair?" Hillary asked. Narrowing her eyes as she recalled the class meetings so far, she added, "I've only met the short _girl_ with purple hair."

Ringo Takagame rolled her nearly Astro Boy-sized eyes. "Yeah. That's what I meant." Looking back at Kusu, she added, "It won't be your brightest hour, but you'll win."

"How do you know?" Lucy wondered.

Going further, Hillary asked, "How do you know who's going to duel? Did Starza and Salman say something about it already?"

"Um, yeah." She looked offended that anyone doubted her word.

"Be nice, Rinny," Kusuma told her.

"Sorry."

With a friendly and encouraging smile, Hillary said, "It's okay. I'm just looking forward to seeing more duels."

"Yeah. Maybe Cuz's cards won't be fakes," Bryan commented dryly. When it drew baffled expressions and pleas for elaboration, he just said, "Never mind." Looking to Rinny, he asked, "How often are your predictions correct?"

"All the time," she snapped.

Kusuma lightly smacked her forearm. "Not always," he corrected her. "She's about as accurate as a Ouija board."

"Hey!"

When Starza walked into the classroom, everyone instantly quieted and prepared to learn the agenda for the afternoon. She still grinned every time she looked at the ideal behavior—students wide-eyed and attentive, ready to learn. Teaching a two-week course to students who voluntarily enrolled was so different from teaching a general education course to a bunch of undergrads.

"Before we get started with handing out projects that will occupy the better part of a week to complete, I have some good news: The interference around the building has subsided again for a while, so we will begin with a duel. Maybe two depending on time."

Whispering to Kusuma, Rinny said, "There won't be two."

Starza looked around for a moment and asked, "Do we have any volunteers?" Almost immediately, nearly every hand in the room shot up. Most students were eager to display their skills to the rest of their classmates, and some were just suffering from Duel Disk withdrawal. Only two students left their hands down. "That was a trick question," Starza revealed. "Kusuma and Aura. You two have hardly spoken at all so far. We're going to start with you."

Kusuma hung his head like he was disappointed to be in front of the group. Azure didn't say a word as she slowly got to her feet and walked to the side of the room cleared out for duels. She was a very smooth walker; she almost glided across the floor. Kusuma, on the other hand, bobbed so much it looked like he stepped into a ditch each time he put a foot down.

"Damn," Bryan uttered. "Maybe a _little_ more accurate than a Ouija board."

* * *

Kusuma and Aura were too quiet and reserved even for a greeting as they prepared for a duel. Bryan could tell they weren't in for a lot of smack talk. And they both had enough hair to audition for the role of It in a remake of _The_ _Addams Family_. At least Aura's soft features were visible because her hair was mostly behind her face.

Aura simply drew and placed Hardened Armed Dragon (4/1500/800) on the field. It looked almost undead, with visible muscle tissue protected by a bony exoskeleton.

"I get to summon Naturia Cosmobeet (2/1000/700)," Kusuma said. "I can Special Summon it anytime you Normal Summon a monster." His was a brown, root-like monster with three flowers growing from its head.

Aura just shrugged in reply and ended her turn.

Kusuma was no more talkative. He explained the effect of Cosmobeet when it summoned itself on Aura's turn, but he didn't bother to explain what he was doing when he sent Cosmobeet to the Graveyard to summon Naturia Bamboo Shoot (5/2000/2000), a brown bamboo shoot with a face and appendages. It was little surprise to see the Bamboo Shoot rain even smaller seeds down on the Hardened Armed Dragon (1500) and destroy it. "I'll also set one card," Kusuma said.

Kusuma 8000: Aura 8000 – 500 = 7500.

As soon as Aura tried to Special Summon Vice Dragon using its ability, Kusuma activated his Trap. A pair of men dressed as armored soldiers stood tall in front of Aura and threatened her with spears. "Royal Oppression prevents Special Summons for 800 LP," Kusuma explained.

Aura wasn't bothered. She set a monster to end her turn.

Kusuma 8000 – 800 = 7200: Aura 7500.

Although anyone could mistake Aura's plays for inexperience or generally bad plays, Kusuma saw a look of recognition in her eye. She knew that Naturia Bamboo Shoot would negate the activation of any Spell or Trap activated by the opponent, and so she didn't waste her cards. Someone like that could easily have a countermeasure set up. He needed to be careful of that possibility.

"I'll summon Naturia Mantis (4/1700/1500)." A small, green grasshopper with innocent eyes and flowers capping its antennae sprung onto the field. Taking the cautious approach, he decided, "I'll play Nobleman of Crossout." A thin soldier bearing silver armor appeared and bowed to Aura's facedown monster before swiftly lunging and piercing the unseen monster; he bowed again, and when he disappeared, he removed the facedown monster from play.

"Now both my monsters can attack directly." The leaf-like claws on the Mantis's arms, though harmless in appearance, scratched Aura significantly while she suffered another rain of bamboo seeds. "I'll place one card facedown and end my turn."

Kusuma 7200: Aura 7500 – 2000 – 1700 = 3800.

Before even drawing, Aura moved her right hand to her Duel Disk and covered her deck. It was a symbolic move, indicating that she wished to cover her remaining cards and suffer any punishment Kusuma might deal them. Translated practically, she forfeited the remainder of the duel.

"Are you sure?" Starza asked sounding minimally surprised.

Aura shrugged. "What can I do here?"

It was a fair point. Naturia Bamboo Shoot prevented Aura from activating Spells and Traps; Royal Oppression prevented her from Special Summoning; and Naturia Mantis could, with its effect, destroy any monster she tried to Normal Summon. That very nearly wiped out any possibility of a successful play.

"Alright," Starza accepted. She looked to Kusuma and said, "Congratulations on an effective lockdown."

Despite a logical argument, Kusuma wasn't convinced. Aura gave up way too easily while possibilities still existed for beating his Naturia cards. Was she really so weak, or was she holding back? Or maybe she was just lazy. He couldn't be sure right now; maybe later he could check up on her.

Starza checked a small device the size of a cell phone that she carried her in pocket. "It looks like we may have time for a second duel." She quickly eyed the room and decided, "Bryan and Elaine. You two are up."

Elaine smirked as she stood up. She was the only redhead in the group; her hair was long and braided all the way down her back, cut short just at the small of her back. Swedish in origin, she was taller than Bryan by a hair, though her body was much slenderer than his. With only three days of class so far, Elaine already established herself as the know-it-all, offering to answer any and every question for which others didn't clamber to participate.

And she knew of Bryan's reputation. This was a duel she looked forward to.

"Begin," Starza told them.

As soon as Elaine drew her first card, her Duel Disk lost the signal. She and Bryan grudgingly accepted that they would be unable to complete a holographic duel, and neither was especially eager to revert to "prehistoric" techniques of dueling on the tabletop.

"Don't worry," Starza said. "You will all duel one another eventually."

But as upset as Elaine was with the delay, Bryan's attention was stuck on Rinny. That girl was starting to frighten him.

* * *

_This was a really weird week for my schedule. I only got this out when I did because Aura gave up so quickly._

_I was wrong about who would be featured in this chapter and generally the majority of the thesis. I apologize for that, but it wasn't my fault: The characters have taken over telling the story and I am simply the one who writes it down. For that reason, I can tell you what _might_ happen next time, but I make no promises:_

_I think we're going to find out what kind of person Elaine is while the twins display a little bit of their real power. Starza will probably present the group with a class-long project that Lucy won't be thrilled with. Maybe Lucy will get a text message from Cary about the progress of the tournament she's missing at Duel Academy._

_This is how I write. Maybe some people are better off with a perfect outline knowing every event before it happens, but this works for me. When I get characters with solid personalities, they take control and write the story with minimal feedback on my end. I just wish they would type the duels, too...  
_

_Credits:_  
_Darius Mantzios...tiramisu19_  
_Jason Maxim...Maxim and Knight_  
_Nathan Zislaw...Mavrik Zero_  
_Hillary Delaney...Nodqfan144_  
_Lili Von...Happy2BMe_  
_Carter Jade...Jaden2010  
Mitsuro Itachu & Sora Mikano...Titanic X  
Sean Bivins...DarkVestroia2_  
_Ivy Roaks...Mental Panda_  
_Hayley Wilson...TeamRocketDiva_  
_Maikeru Stone...onyxshade7  
Victor Rocks & Abel Shinzou...Iron-Arm-V_  
_Alister Kazama & Jessica Parks...ZaneKazama001_  
_Synthia Spencer...Madly Chessur_  
_Leila & Linear Lockhart & Azure Windwalker...Windraider__  
Logan Wilson...MercWithTheMouth13_  
_Allen Tebaro...Nouva17  
Tai Ishihara...ZAFT Prime  
Cain Valin...FE96jAFFAR_  
_Kusuma Megumi & Ringo Takagame...VStriker_  
_Rachel Avila...Amourenvie_  
_Everyone else so far...YamiRuss_


	14. The Power Within

Chapter 14: The Power Within

"Whereas the Egyptians sealed their gods within stone, the Sumerians thought the gods could be sealed within the flesh." The slide Salman presented depicted a human with a larger, almost ghostly entity looming overhead as a shadow. "The belief was that a king earned his role through divinity—specifically from the body of a god becoming one with the body of a host. The priesthood interpreted the words of the gods and selected hosts to become the earthly body for each divine spirit.

"You may wonder why the gods needed hosts for a little foray on Earth. Rather than worshipping the gods as concrete objects or beings that could be seen and interacted with as the Egyptians did, the Sumerian gods were anthropomorphic entities representing cosmic and terrestrial forces. Anu, Lord of the Heavens and the Constellations, for example, lacked any sort of substantive body and could only witness human behavior from the realm of divine beings unless his priests completed the ritual and provided him with a host."

Salman's next slide presented a stone statue of a man as big as a lion, and alongside a number of other, more modern representations; Bryan even recognized the one that had orange robes, blank eyes, and four arms each wielding unique and legendary swords.

"King Gilgamesh was a powerful man but a tyrannical king. To prevent his fall into the underworld, Anu inhabited the earthly body of Enkidu; he became a match for Gilgamesh in every way. After an initial battle against one another, they became friends and Gilgamesh was returned to a righteous path.

"Through their journeys of battle and discovery, Anu lost his original way and his mind essentially merged with Enkidu's. But the host-god was seen as a threat to the world order by the other gods, and so the gods communicated to him through a series of dreams that tormented and sickened his human host that one of the heroes must die as penance for killing Humbaba, the Guardian of Cedar Forest. After twelve days, the host Enkidu died and Anu's spirit returned to the greater realm."

Speaking more openly and slightly less related to the subject, Salman closed with, "I highly recommend reading the Epic of Gilgamesh. It is a wondrous story full of adventure and intrigue that fascinated me from the time I was a young boy."

Hillary seemed oddly eager as she raised her hand with a question. A fan of adventure stories, she asked, "Do you believe the gods can really communicate with us through dreams? Or do they only communicate with one another?"

"It is difficult to be certain," Salman admitted. "No reported communications from any gods were ever substantiated, but that does not mean the possibility does not exist by some stretch of the imagination. In fact, the idea of gods inhabiting humans to make them stronger is what inspired the idea of Tuning in Duel Monsters."

Bryan noted the Epic of Gilgamesh. He would have to be careful when he read it, though, or else he might find himself referring to Enkidu as "Matt" instead.

* * *

Elaine hummed softly as she reached for her deck. "When you destroyed my Witch of the Black Forest, you gave me the ability to retrieve a monster from my deck."

"I know," Hillary commented. "I was excited when you played that card because now I can activate Drastic Drop Off." On the field, the robed Witch with the third eye in her forehead jolted in the middle of casting her summoning spell; the card she was sending to Elaine's hand suddenly fell from the air and hit the Graveyard instead.

"I certainly hope you have a plan," Elaine commented. "It won't do any good at all if you can't manage to defeat Destiny Hero – Dogma (8/3400/2400)." Her monster was a massive, winged Hero whose solid skin armored his body as he rent Hillary's previous monsters asunder with complete ease. "You should at least be able to cut me down past halfway or else this duel wasn't even worth it."

With a smile, Hillary answered, "I hope to do more than that. When a Counter Trap resolves, I can send my monster to the Graveyard to summon Voltanis the Adjudicator (8/2800/1400)." As the golden body of Harvest Angel of Wisdom disappeared from her field, an explosion of blue light heralded the appearance of a shielded archangel wielding a judgment staff.

"Perfect," Elaine confessed. Blue lightning struck her Hero with the enormous lightning rod protruding from his arm. The Hero instantly transformed into a pile of ash and blew away from the field. "Now I'm wide open. Maybe you have a strategy to kill me in one turn?"

"Unfortunately, no," Hillary confessed. She checked her lap and wheelchair next to her Duel Disk again as she explained, "If I hadn't lost that other card, I might be able to pull something together."

"That's a real shame. I keep hoping one of you from Duel Academy can make me really suffer, but so far, the Greek guy, the Navy girl, and the girl with the enormous rack haven't done anything significant to me. I do hope you can do better."

And Voltanis gave a tremendous effort; casting a spell of light from his its staff, the angel blasted Elaine for a powerful direct attack.

"I'll end with… Hey!" Hillary searched her Duel Disk again for the card Bountiful Artemis gave her before leaving the field. It was a Counter Trap called Solemn Judgment that would basically assure her protection against anything Elaine could play the next turn, but it was no longer in her hand, nor did it rest on her Duel Disk tray.

"What's the problem? Have you suddenly lost the will to fight?"

Hillary couldn't believe this happened twice in a duel. All the time she spent working on her deck and working to win as many duels as possible in order to prove that being crippled in the legs didn't mean she was worthless… It felt wasted now that she couldn't keep a hold on her cards during a duel against an international champion.

At least she still had Voltanis on the field and Van'Dalgyon in her hand. "I guess that's the end of my turn."

Hillary 1300: Elaine 7800 – 500 – 2800 = 4500.

Elaine clicked her tongue a few times. "It's a shame you fell short on your goal of deducting half my Life Points." Her field contained two black flames that eyed Hillary eerily. At the end of Hillary's turn, she activated Fires of Doomsday to summon two Doomsday Tokens (1/0/0) before her turn began. "Do you remember when I used Destiny Hero Diamond Dude to send Monster Reborn from my deck to the Graveyard? Now the effect activates and summons Diamond Dude (4/1400/1600) back to my field." The magical ankh brought to her field a warrior cloaked in green and studded all over with diamonds; his entire skeleton was composed of diamond and not bone, and he could cause the diamond to emerge from his skin at will.

"The last time I had three monsters on the field, I used them all to summon a bigger monster." She instantly changed her expression from a pensive frown to an over-the-top smile. "I think I'll just do that again! But this time, I'll make it Destiny Hero Plasma (8/1900/600)!"

This monster was difficult to describe. It looked like a human wearing a suit that should be much too heavy to carry: The wings were thin like green sails, one arm had claws the size of swords while the other was like the mouth of a beast, and the back possessed a long tail and capped in a crest with three additional claws. Without a word, the man reached out with his demonic hand and engulfed Voltanis.

"Plasma (+3300) absorbs one of your monsters and gains half its power to use his own way." She chuckled to herself. "It's too bad you don't at least have a Trap set for me to worry about, but with your field wide open like that and you with so few Life Points remaining, I think it's safe to say: You lost." Without a moment's hesitation for small talk, Plasma spread his wings and began to shine with a deep, red light; when the light burst, a piercing rain of blood pelted Hillary relentlessly.

Hillary 1300 – 3300 = 0: Elaine 4500.

Plasma's imposing figure loomed over her for a moment before the holograms shut down and faded. When it did, Elaine flipped her hair behind her back in a cocky way. "Well, that was disappointing. Isn't anyone at Duel Academy worth their reputations?"

Hillary wouldn't let Elaine's words bother her. "We have a few," she confessed, "but you are proof that not all the good duelists enroll each year." Despite the compliment and Hillary's effort to lose graciously, Elaine still was not impressed and only scoffed as she drifted back to her seat in the back corner of the lab room.

"Okay," Starza said with more excitement than seemed warranted. Her effort to display enthusiasm was curbed by her undertone of sarcasm, however. It seemed pretty obvious to Hillary that Starza was less interested in dueling and teaching than she was in her own research.

As soon as Hillary parked her wheelchair where she wanted it, Kusuma leaned over and tapped her on the shoulder. "Hey. I think that was a good duel. You almost had her there at the end."

"Don't let her smugness get to you," Lucy agreed. "Even Mitsuro lost to her."

"I didn't _lose_," Mitsuro repeated for the umpteenth time. "My cards vanished from my hand. If they didn't, I would have beaten her."

Hillary knew the feeling, but she didn't let herself go crazy worrying about a duel that was already over. "I just hope my cards aren't completely lost. It took me years to get my deck the way I like it."

Kusuma smiled at her. "I wouldn't worry too much. They'll probably show up in your deck again later on."

"I sure hope so."

When Starza realized they weren't going to get another duel out during the period, she opted to let the students work on their projects. "At this point, you have exactly one week to finish them. Although the tests tomorrow and next week will make your grade, this project will determine course credit you get back at your schools. So use this time wisely. I will be right here if you would like to use me as an extra resource."

A few of the students left the lab to go work on their projects alone. Each student had to produce a separate project, which meant teamwork wasn't an issue, and research wasn't a requirement if knowledge was abundant. Of course, when research was required, the electronic interference made landline internet connections mandatory; wireless internet connections were abysmal at best.

"This might be the most creativity-intensive project I've ever been assigned," Lucy groaned. "I mean, how are we supposed to design a card or rule that can completely change the way people duel?"

"I'm sticking with my motorcycle idea," Bryan declared. "I don't care what the traffic laws say; one of these days, people will have street duels at high speeds, damning the risk. That reminds me… I need to invest in a motorcycle repair place."

Lucy sighed with jealous amusement. "That's great for you that you have an idea to work with. Unfortunately, the best I can come up with is a one-card Exodia."

Kusuma laughed. "A one-card Exodia? That's probably not the kind of change Starza meant."

Rinny agreed, "Unless the change you're trying to effect is to make everybody run Time Seal and Mask of Darkness." The combination Rinny referred to involved using Time Seal to force the opponent to skip his or her Draw Phase, and then using Mask of Darkness to return Time Seal to the player's hand.

With a sigh and a flip through her sketchbook, looking at the pictures of armored warriors and magic spells, Lucy commented, "I'm so much better at designing card artwork than I am at creating effects."

She continued flipping through her book when Mitsuro stood up—her stuff packed into her bag—and reminded her, "Staring at those pictures won't help. You'll have to think about the way you play and how things could be easier or harder for you."

Noticing the bag on her shoulder, Lucy asked, "Where are you going?"

"I'm headed to the park to work from there. The bland walls of this room stifle my creativity."

"Do you already have an idea?"

"Not really. But the sound of the ocean always helps me relax and get the creative juices flowing." With a quick, two-fingered salute, she turned and headed out of the room with a bit of a skip in her step.

Hillary smiled. "How much do you want to bet her project has a Navy theme?"

"It definitely does," Rinny agreed. She corrected herself with, "I mean _will_. Anyone want to bet the other way?"

Lucy laughed and looked at her boyfriend, who was scribbling down rules for speed dueling. "Even Bryan wouldn't take that bet."

She sighed again and stared at her blank page of ideas. Mitsuro said to think about how she plays, but that wasn't helping. One-card Exodia was obviously too easy and incredibly ridiculous. Pay Life Points instead of using Spell Counters? Maybe that would help Lucy in certain occasions, but it was certainly not thinking big enough to change anything outside of a Spell Counter deck. At the very least, she wanted something reasonably significant that people might actually use. And Starza already said designing a series of monsters based on copyrighted material was not acceptable; that meant replicating Sora's _Kingdom Hearts_ idea on something like _Mega Man_ or _The Legend of Zelda_ was out.

"I suddenly hate this class."

* * *

Simpler is better. As Mitsuro leaned in the shade of the Thelemic Pantheon's towering walls, she looked pensive, as if she were waiting for someone to meet with her before heading away from the shade and perhaps onto the beach.

All she really wanted was for the passersby to look somewhere else for a bit. Everyone outside had other activities to occupy them—swimming, dating, roasting marshmallows, selling useless trinkets, purchasing useless trinkets—but any one of them might be alarmed if they saw what she had in mind. An appropriate distraction might give her the chance to slip through the window into a room for which she did not have a key. She did, however, have a hacksaw blade and a reasonable understanding of window anatomy. With only a moment of freedom, she might wedge the window open.

Suddenly a loud popping sound came from the marshmallow roasters. The first one caused everyone to flinch, but the second, third, fourth, fifth, and sixth pops caused a slight panic as some people worried they might be victims in a drive-by. When the popping stopped, the roasters noticed oysters that burst open. Apparently, someone dropped them into the fire, and when they reached the boiling point, they burst open and created a loud popping sound. But why would someone do that?

It didn't matter anymore; Mitsuro was already inside Starza's office. The room looked exactly like the office of someone stationed here for only a two-week course: The desk was incredibly neat and tidy, hardly one-third of the shelf space was in use, the walls and floor were devoid of color and personality, and the floor was clean enough to eat off. That was going to make cleaning up after her spelunking mission extra important.

First on the list was the computer on the desk. Maybe she'd get lucky and it wouldn't be password-protected. A quick shake of the mouse spoiled that hope, though. Unfortunately, Mitsuro didn't know nearly enough about Starza to be able to crack her password. Was she the kind of person who came up with a challenging, impossible-to-crack password? Password difficulty is directly proportional to the need to write down the password, so it might be somewhere in the room if that's the approach she took.

But most people use a password that has some personal relevance, and that's where knowing so little about Starza and her interests became a tremendous problem. Realistically, using a personal password was much more likely, but it put Mitsuro in a no-win scenario. At least hoping Starza wrote her incredibly difficult password down somewhere meant a small chance of success.

And so she started looking.

Starza had a reference calendar. Starting with the first pages—the ones with instructions and copyright information most people just ignore—she flipped through the pages. There were names were dig sites in the Middle East, dinner dates, phone numbers, lists of errands, and a series of calorie counts, but nothing that resembled a password. The notes became more extensive during a few week-long blocks; excessive addresses, names, and phone numbers that didn't fit the format of the US suggested time spent in the Mediterranean region, probably related to research. But then when she went back home, the day planner notes were sparse and predictable. Judging from the day planner, Starza led a pretty boring life when she wasn't out of the country.

Maybe there was something in the books. There weren't many, but few serious researchers can take even a two-week trip to teach a course without bringing reference texts and personal research documents to keep her knowledge sharp. Excluding the books and articles with either Starza or Salman listed as an author, the variety of books was wide: _The Book of the Law_, _Ancient Egypt: Nuit_, _Bacchanalia_, _Religious Eschatology_, _Life of Pi_, and _First Blood_.

"Wouldn't have pegged her as a Rambo fan," she uttered.

Mitsuro began flipping through the books not authored by either instructor. She didn't get far before she heard sounds at the door. She quickly put the book back on the shelf and slipped into the corner of the office between two unused bookshelves. Huddled tightly to make herself as small as possible, Mitsuro watched carefully with plans to exit the room quickly.

"You try my patience, Death," Starza grumbled as she opened the door with Sora close in tow. "If you cannot retrieve Uria in a duel, then do so when he is _not_ dueling."

"Doesn't stealing the card spoil the meaning of it?"

With a sigh, she quoted, "There is no law but 'do what thou wilt.' The purpose of your ability is to locate the icons of the gods and provide for the ritual. No earthly quantity of power will open the gates."

Sora cocked an eyebrow and looked to the corner of the room for a moment.

Starza emphasized, "To discover your True Will, you must disconnect from your conscious desires and follow the thoughts within your subconscious. The reason you struggle now is your reluctance to follow your true path. As soon as you align yourself with the universe and pursue the path for which you were born, the universe will aid you." She placed her hand on his shoulder. "You once wished for more power. This is how you will obtain it."

Sora took in a deep breath as if to meditate on his feet. When he opened his eyes, he pointed to her desk and asked, "Any chance you figured out a way to get me to Duel Academy? The other god cards are still there."

"That will not be necessary," she explained as she walked to her desk. "Each card is a single portal to the collective conscious of the Shadow Realm. Just one will be sufficient to draw the magicks the ritual will require."

Sora nodded. "Very well. I guess I'll go figure out how to sneak into Bryan's Duel Disk."

"Use the twins. They can be very distracting."

"That's what Pestilence suggested."

"What did I say? The universe will assist you. Now go."

With a somewhat hesitant step, Sora backed away from Starza and left her office. He walked around the bend of the hall and stopped abruptly two doors down. That's where he startled Mitsuro, who slipped silently out of Starza's office the moment she looked away from the door.

"Thanks for not giving me away," she grudgingly offered.

He smiled brightly at her. "I bet that hurt to say."

"You have no idea."

With a boastful grin, he asked, "Care to tell me what you were doing in Teach's office?"

She glared back. "Don't you already know?"

"Yeah. I think you should try checking into the Eschatology book if you want to figure out her password."

"Why? What's in the book?"

"Well, eschatology is the study of the end of the world. Every religion has its version of the end, and it seems Starza has some interest in how it's going to happen." He patted her on the rear just like a football player and said, "I hope that helps." With a quick wink, he took off down the hall toward the dorms.

"Wait," Mitsuro called, ignoring the violation of personal space. "How can I take you seriously? You and Starza seemed awfully buddy-buddy in there. Why would you help me spy on her?"

"There's just something endearing about you," he confessed with his hands crossed over his heart. He pointed to her and added, "I will give you this one piece of advice to aid your oh-for-the-century duel record here: If you ever want to beat Elaine Bouldin in a duel, you need to play your cards incredibly close to your vest. Cards have a way of disappearing around her."

"I noticed. Why is that?"

He huffed. "Ask Einstein. And while you're at it, steer clear of the twins."

"The twins?" That didn't ring a bell. "Who are they? Do they have some kind of mind control power like you do?"

"No. They're just really creepy."

* * *

_I fixed the formatting issue with the previous chapter. Not really sure what happened, but the brief excerpt at the end was replaced into the chapter._

_On another note, this isn't my favorite chapter, but it does contain information that will expand over the next several chapters. The next chapter will finally see a big duel that is not part of the class, and then things will speed up considerably. My goal for posting is two Mondays._

_I spent a long time thinking I would give the Destiny Heroes to Bryan, but with all the talk of True Will, it fit better symbolically to give them to someone else. I chose Elaine for reasons that will be more obvious the next time she duels. Rest assured that Bryan will not end up using a Destiny Hero deck.  
_

_Credits:_  
_Darius Mantzios...tiramisu19_  
_Jason Maxim...Maxim and Knight_  
_Nathan Zislaw...Mavrik Zero_  
_Hillary Delaney...Nodqfan144_  
_Lili Von...Happy2BMe_  
_Carter Jade...Jaden2010  
Mitsuro Itachu & Sora Mikano...Titanic X  
Sean Bivins...DarkVestroia2_  
_Ivy Roaks...Mental Panda_  
_Hayley Wilson...TeamRocketDiva_  
_Maikeru Stone...onyxshade7  
Victor Rocks & Abel Shinzou...Iron-Arm-V_  
_Alister Kazama & Jessica Parks...ZaneKazama001_  
_Synthia Spencer...Madly Chessur_  
_Leila & Linear Lockhart & Azure Windwalker...Windraider__  
Logan Wilson...MercWithTheMouth13_  
_Allen Tebaro...Nouva17  
Tai Ishihara...ZAFT Prime  
Cain Valin...FE96jAFFAR_  
_Kusuma Megumi & Ringo Takagame...VStriker_  
_Rachel Avila...Amourenvie_  
_Everyone else so far...YamiRuss_


	15. Judgment Day

Chapter 15: Judgment Day

The short and overly bubbly Rinny always made predictions before a duel, but this one hardly made her seem like the Amazing Creskin. According to her foresight, she was about to lose this duel against Bryan.

"Are you sure you can stand up to my Fortune Lady Earth (+7/+2800/+2800)?" she teased. (Her yellow-clad spellcaster, though powerful capable of growing even stronger, wore glasses thick enough to see the back of the moon.) Rinny was already certain what cards he held and knew exactly how he would play them.

With a scowl on his face, Bryan whipped one of his cards forward. "I'll play Dark Fusion." A bright light engulfed Sparkman and Clayman, absorbing them both into a vortex of light. The fusion of their bodies produced a blue suit of armor as big as a tank with designs of spiked lightning bolts. The armor began charging electricity, and suddenly all that energy exploded into an electrical storm that grabbed Fortune Lady Earth and electrocuted her and turned her to ash. Without a word, Bryan's Evil Hero Lightning Golem (6/2400/1500) launched a direct assault on Rinny to end the duel.

Bryan 5200: Rinny 2400 – 2400 = 0.

Rinny kept a smile on her face despite the loss. "Good playing, Bryan. It's pretty obvious why you were invited here." She wanted to be friendly, but she already knew Bryan wouldn't reply. Whenever he dueled, he lost himself to the competition. Undoubtedly, he was annoyed that Rinny even managed to scratch his Life Points.

"That was a good try," Kusuma told her. He gave her a quick high five, but then he went back to drawing with some powder on his desk. "He's a tough opponent."

"At least that means my prediction is right again," she said cheerfully.

Lucy wasn't as energetic these days when Bryan won. She was happy that he was proving to be one of the best duelists, but he wasn't happy anymore when he played. As soon as his Duel Disk activated, Bryan became a speechless, no-nonsense card-slinger. Was it because Uria was affecting him again? Maybe he was being influenced by the Shadow Realm again.

"_I destroyed Uria. We tied, but he was okay when Uria was gone."_

That's what Matt said about healing Bryan last time. But the other students didn't even last long enough for Bryan to play Uria. It would be impossible to destroy if he never played it.

"Are you okay?" Rinny asked Lucy with a nudge. "Where's your roommate?" She was right; Mitsuro wasn't in class.

"Hmm…" Kusuma was generally so quiet unless directly spoken to that he caught Lucy's attention with his curious tone. He was staring at his desk. "Uria is gone."

"What?"

He shrugged. "Someone referred to as 'the twins' stole his card during class."

"The twins?" Numbers repeated. She hadn't seen any twins around, but she realized she hadn't seen Kusuma's face, either. "Are you the twins?"

"No way," Rinny laughed. "We're not related."

"Besides, I wouldn't even know what to do with a god card."

Lucy didn't think that could be true of anybody. Whether the goal be power, rarity, or sheer monetary value, everyone had a reason to steal a god card.

* * *

Mitsuro flipped through the book. If she were really lucky, Starza would scribble her password in the margins somewhere. Unfortunately, Starza didn't make it that easy. But maybe the password was still a keyword somewhere in the book. It might be too easy, but she already narrowed the incredibly long odds with Sora's help.

"One religion is as good a guess as the next," she decided as she started going through eschatology terms. She started with Christianity, trying terms like revelation, rapture, and apocalypse. Nothing. Maybe Islam? Al-Qiyamah and last judgment were futile efforts, too. She tried tossing in messianic names, but those didn't do it.

Sora specifically mentioned Starza's interest in how the world would end. She decided to stick with the terms of eschatology listed in the book instead of getting caught up in the infinite realm of religious terminology. Judgment day, Shiva, four Yugas, frashokereti…

"Huh. Bingo."

Frashokereti… According to the book Mitsuro held in her hand, this version of the end of the world claimed the world was originally created as a perfect place, but it was corrupted by evil. Good would eventually triumph over evil, and that's when the world will return to its perfect state. Not really what Mitsuro considered a grim Judgment Day-type of story, but it also came from a religion in which the world encounters no divine intervention, and therefore everything that happens in a person's life is the result of that person's actions. Is this what Starza thought was likely to happen?

More importantly, _when_ did she think it would happen, and was she doing anything to speed it up?

It would be enormously helpful if Starza kept a Word document on her desktop titled "Starza's Diary," but Mitsuro's luck ran a little short of that. Starza's desktop was an IT nightmare; Office documents and file folders filled every space. It was almost blinding, like looking at a light-up 3D puzzle.

Patience being a virtue, Mitsuro browsed Starza's hard drive. It wasn't long before she came across a parent folder named "HFC." Those initials really could be short for anything, but Mitsuro thought about a story she heard from a guy back at Recruit Training. He mentioned being a member of the _Hellfire Club_ at Yale.

The folder contained several subfolders, each dated. She checked the first folder and found only descriptions of other members, one of whom was Salman Nazari. Interesting, but not informative. She checked the last dated folder and found a description of some kind of ritual intended to reach into a higher plane of existence and free the spirit of the God of Creation. Her files summed up a plan to break the four, mystical seals that prevent God from intervening on Earth.

"She wants to create her own rapture," Mitsuro concluded as she pulled out her phone. This plot sounded like there might be corroboration in some of the files she liberated from the Medici Building on Duel Academy's campus.

"Yes, Captain?" was how Tai answered the phone.

"Tai. How are things at the Academy?"

"It's still here," he answered sarcastically. "Legally, things are a little gray, but…"

"You been breaking and entering?"

"No." Tai paused for a moment and said, "Why did you jump to that conclusion so quickly? Have _you_ been breaking and entering?"

Mitsuro took a quick look around Starza's office as a reminder where she was. "No."

"Anyway, I think this big tournament is keeping everyone's attention. If I weren't filling my free time with research into magic and Shadow Realms, I might be able to duel more often."

"Sorry, Tai. I really didn't intend this to be a social call."

"Yeah, I know," he said with a laugh. "I just wanted to see how long you'd let me talk."

"Keep an eye out for the names Starza Almasi, Salman Nazari, Tobias Joly, and Lorn Kruse. They apparently have some kind of belief in magic that sounds an awful lot like the Shadow Realm."

"Anything you need help with?"

Thinking to the fact that she lost a duel with Sora, Elaine, and Rachel already, Mitsuro answered Tai's question with, "Maybe. At least I have Bryan here with me for backup in a pinch. Just let me know if you find anything. I get the feeling this little trip to the Thelemic Pantheon was not entirely coincidental."

Suddenly Mitsuro jumped when she heard keys rattling in the doorway. She quickly closed her conversation with Tai and set the computer into hibernate mode before ducking under the desk to hide.

"Mitsy?"

She scoffed at the familiar sound of the man's voice. "Sora?" She stood and gave him an annoyed look. "What are you doing here? Why do you have Starza's keys?"

"I came to find you," he answered, somewhat in monotone. He definitely lacked a good bit of his usual energy. And his eyes appeared slightly blank. "Did you figure out Starza's password and find what you were looking for?"

"I figured out the password, but I haven't gotten very far in her computer. She's got a Ph.D.; there are a lot of files on her hard drive to get through."

Sora chuckled and shook his head in disbelief. "Great work breaking her password. How'd you find it?"

Mitsuro tilted her head, confused. "You told me where to look."

"Oh? Did I?"

Very suddenly, Sora's body went completely stiff. His eyes glazed over like he was asleep on his feet while Starza stepped into the room. She had a smug look on her face, like maybe she'd just discovered a big clue regarding someone's betrayal.

She said, "Thank you for that. I knew this snitch was breaking his oath with me."

Mitsuro suddenly felt defensive. "What did you do to him?"

At that moment, Starza's eyes flashed a golden jolt of electricity, and Sora's eyes sparked the exact same way. "Let's just say he's not in such a traitorous mood right now." Without a glance in the direction of Sora's blank stare, she told him, "Go do your homework." Sora quickly turned and walked through the door without so much as an utterance.

Starza glared at Mitsuro. "What do you want with me?"

"You apparently brainwashed Sora instantaneously and you can't figure out what makes you suspicious?"

Clearly sarcasm was not the response Starza hoped for. Her reply was to activate her Duel Disk. "This is how you students communicate these days, isn't it?"

Mitsuro instinctively activated her Duel Disk. "You think a duel will resolve this?"

"I have no reason to fear you. You've lost to all four of my Horsemen already."

"They have psychic powers."

"How do you think I already knew that?"

Mitsuro sneered and drew her opening cards. "I'll set one monster. Now let's see what your psychic powers are."

"You asked for it." Starza placed her fingers on her deck, and Mitsuro felt the ambient temperature in the room lower. When she drew, a wave of cold rushed over Mitsuro and dispersed instantly.

"I'll begin with Dragonsoul Knight (4/1900/1000)." A warrior clad in stone armor appeared on the field wielding a giant polearm with a spiked crescent around the grip. "Let's see if your Navy cards can stand up to that." Her warrior lunged and thrust his spear straight through Mitsuro's ship, revealed as the large-deck ship called Assault Ship (4/1500/1200).

Before the ship sank, two helicopters flew from the deck. "Flipping Assault Ship summons two Assault Tokens (2/1000/1000) to my field."

Unfazed by tokens, Starza set two cards and ended her turn.

"Unfortunately," Mitsuro confessed, "I have nothing to beat that Knight. I'll set another monster and one more card." Two more facedown cards appeared on her field as if to protect her.

"As I expected from a simple sailor. With no real power behind your words, you are useless in battle." She took Mitsuro's lack of response as evidence of a young woman without a plan. "I'll remove your defenses while I show you how weak you truly are."

Slapping down another monster, she declared, "I'll summon Niv-Mizzet, the Firemind (4/1500/1300)." A rotund, four-legged dragon with red scales and bat-like wings appeared on the field. Its head was crested with so many fins as to be gills. With a roar, Niv-Mizzet knelt and allowed Dragonsoul Knight to climb upon its back like a dragon rider. "Dragonsoul Knight is a Union monster; once per turn, it equips itself to a dragon on my field and increases its power. Now Niv-Mizzet (+2500) is twice as strong because it can also attack twice." Riding bareback on the red dragon, Starza's knight swept by both of Mitsuro's helicopters and, with two quick thrusts, destroyed both and dropped them from the sky.

"Any sailor is ready to die for the war."

With a chuckle, Starza replied, "Lucky it's just a card game, eh?" She lowered her head and narrowed her eyes at Mitsuro. "What if we change that?"

"Change what?" Mitsuro wondered.

Grinning, she explained, "What if we imposed a penalty for attacking the opponent?" She hummed. "Yes. Each time you destroy one of the opponent's monsters, you will be forced to remember something devastating from your past."

"First of all, memories? You're going to torture me by making me remember something I already lived through?"

"Trust me; it will be a particularly stressful memory."

Mitsuro scoffed. "Yeah. Back to the second thing, how is seeing your monster destroyed supposed to stress me out? It will make victory that much easier to reach."

"If you don't believe me, then just try to defeat my dragon knight.

She wanted to do just that. "I'll Flip Summon another Assault Ship (1500) and also summon two more Assault Tokens (1000)." A second large-deck ship—almost large enough to be an aircraft carrier but really not intended for that purpose—appeared on the field and brought out two helicopters.

"So it's to be a game of Tokens, is it?"

"Not really. I don't intend to leave my fleet at the mercy of your dragon knight. I'll play Big Wave Small Wave." A wave of water—tinged red by the setting sun—built up under the ship; the water billowed high enough to snatch the helicopters from the air and consumed all three of Mitsuro's monsters. "When the sea calms again, I summon up to the same number of water monsters from my hand. I'll summon Destroyer Class – USS Guardian (6/2400/2500), Destroyer Class – USS Liberty (5/2000/2300), and Destroyer Class – USS Defender (5/2400/2400)." The emerging armada contained ships identical in design and differing only by color: one blue, one copper, and one white.

Out of sheer instinct, Starza activate Spite/Malice, a Trap that allowed her to choose between negating the activation of a Spell or Trap or negating the activation of an effect monster. Having missed the timing for the Spell, she opted to negate the effects of the three ships Mitsuro summoned.

Her gaze narrowed as she recognized the gravity of the situation she just diffused. "Three Naval vessels developed for war. How appropriate you should flood the field with your strongest cards. And yet, none among them matches my dragon rider's power."

"The strength of the Navy does not lie in individual effort. Sailors work together to make their ships more efficient in battle. As such, I can still summon Guided Missile Destroyer (2/500/1500)." A ship with three masts sailed onto the field and joined Mitsuro's growing fleet. "By sending Guided Missile Destroyer to the Graveyard, I increase the power of USS Liberty (+3500) by 1500 points until the end of the turn.

"Now Liberty will lead the assault!" The copper-toned ship lurched forward through the rough waters and unloaded a hail of cannon fire on Niv-Mizzet (2500). The munitions plowed into Dragonsoul Knight and knocked it off the back of its red-scaled steed. "The first attack only destroyed the Union monster, but now USS Guardian (2400) will destroy Niv-Mizzet (-1500)." The blue ship pushed forward through the waters and unloaded an identical barrage of cannon fire at the red dragon, piercing its scales and obliterating its body.

Suddenly Mitsuro was back at Recruit Training Command in Great Lakes, Illinois.

* * *

_Fennel was a great guy—athletic, good-looking, and polite to each and every person he met. Right off, he made a good impression with Mitsuro, but he had some secrets that brought him self-doubt and occasional nightmares._

"_Right before I dropped out, I was tapped to join the Hellfire Club."_

"_What's the Hellfire Club?"_

"_It's like a more contemporary Skull and Bones society, the old society that had such illustrious members as presidents, justices, CEOs, et cetera. The Hellfire Club was intended to be the same thing, but I've heard a lot of its members strayed pretty far from the true goal."_

"_You've _heard_? You never found out directly?"_

_Fennel shook his head gravely. "I didn't stay that long. They did this thing during the tapping ceremony…" He fell silent for a minute, and she knew it must have been related to the reason a guy with as much promise as Fennel would drop out of an ivy-league school._

"_They set me in a cold, dark room all alone in my boxers and a shock collar. They interrogated me through a speaker, and every time I lied, one of the other pledges got zapped. Every time one of them lied, I got zapped. And then they started asking me about my dad's involvement in my athletic scholarship…"_

_Mitsuro covered her mouth, unable to respond. She liked Fennel, and it hurt realizing the kind of past he was running from._

* * *

Even though she never left the field, Mitsuro felt like she stepped away from the duel long enough to remember Fennel's trauma. When her attention returned, she clenched a fist and resolved to finish the duel regardless of Starza's hypnotic tricks.

"You're open for an attack from USS Defender (2400)." Her white ship unleashed a third and final wave of ammunition against Starza. "That will end my turn."

"Not just yet, it won't," Starza countered. "I'll activate Brothers of Fire. During the End Phase, you take damage equal to the combined Battle Damage you inflicted to me during this turn. I only need to discard one card in return." Two blacksmiths appeared on the field, one blowing fire and one starting a fire using Starza's card as tinder. Holding the flaming card with tongs, the smith thrust the fire directly onto Mitsuro, bypassing her defending armada.

Mitsuro 8000 – 4300 = 3700: Starza 8000 – 1000 – 900 – 2400 = 3700.

Starza's smugness faded as she looked at her hand.

"I'll activate Final Judgment." A fog descended on the field—light at first but growing heavier by the second. And then the fog turned out not to be a fog, but rather an incorporeal dragon with four serpentine heads. Sweeping across the field, the ships disappeared under the veil of fog; the fog lifted and revealed an empty field.

"You just destroyed three of my monsters," Mitsuro noted; Starza seemed unchanged. "Don't you have to endure three stressful memories?"

"Not exactly. When I destroy so many monsters at once, I remember one thing, but it is equally weighted by the number of monsters destroyed."

* * *

_Slowly, her eyesight returned to her. Starza was standing outside a park on the other side of a chain-link fence. She could see clearly through the fence the dozens of kids playing with one another and their families. Frisbees glided through the air until snagged by youthful fingertips. A tennis ball nearly punctured under the overzealous bite of collie, eager to return the ball to the one who threw it. Toddlers experienced the excitement of letting their first kites fly higher than the sun._

_A smile came across Starza's face at the scene. The gentle flow of the creek smelled of rainwater. The sun coated her skin in warm rays. The laughter from the children was like music in the air. This was paradise._

_Exactly at that moment, the earth shook violently. At first a single rumble that forced toddlers to topple and adult knees to buckle, the shaking stopped just long enough to entertain thoughts of safety. With the next shake, Starza saw fire rain from the blackened sky as fiery hailstones. The first one struck a father and buried him in the ground. Screams silenced only when fireballs crushed another human target._

_Fires grew in the grass and spread farther with each new fireball. The rippling flames shrieked like tortured souls and incinerated every living organism they contacted. Chaos became reality._

_Suddenly, four bright lights snatched Starza's attention. A white light broke the dark sky in the form of an encircled unicursal hexagram. In rapid succession, a red hexagram, a black hexagram, and a pale-green hexagram lit up the sky. When all four seals shattered, the sky fell as a blanket of ash, extinguishing the flames and covering the surface of the earth._

* * *

_I hate splitting chapters in two, but this one is taking a long time to finish. If all went as planned, this chapter should confuse the crap out of you whereas the continuation will answer a lot of these questions and set you up with a few more. The next chapter will also set the goal of this arc more concretely. Any predictions about what's going on?  
_

_Credits:_  
_Darius Mantzios...tiramisu19_  
_Jason Maxim...Maxim and Knight_  
_Nathan Zislaw...Mavrik Zero_  
_Hillary Delaney...Nodqfan144_  
_Lili Von...Happy2BMe_  
_Carter Jade...Jaden2010  
Mitsuro Itachu & Sora Mikano...Titanic X  
Sean Bivins...DarkVestroia2_  
_Ivy Roaks...Mental Panda_  
_Hayley Wilson...TeamRocketDiva_  
_Maikeru Stone...onyxshade7  
Victor Rocks & Abel Shinzou...Iron-Arm-V_  
_Alister Kazama & Jessica Parks...ZaneKazama001_  
_Synthia Spencer...Madly Chessur_  
_Leila & Linear Lockhart & Azure Windwalker...Windraider__  
Logan Wilson...MercWithTheMouth13_  
_Allen Tebaro...Nouva17  
Tai Ishihara...ZAFT Prime  
Cain Valin...FE96jAFFAR_  
_Kusuma Megumi & Ringo Takagame...VStriker_  
_Rachel Avila...Amourenvie_  
_Starza's Magic: The Gathering deck...drake202_  
_Everyone else so far...YamiRuss_


	16. Premonition and History

Chapter 16: Premonition and History

Starza's breathing was shallow for a moment as she recovered. Her own psychic ability—which she used to bring the Shadows into a duel against Mitsuro—occasionally backfired and hurt her, as well. She took in a sharp breath and eased her mind back to the present. Mitsuro appeared concerned—perhaps more curious—about Starza's temporary break.

"Are you okay?"

Starza didn't answer the question. She was more interested in continuing the duel. "I'll summon Cloud Dragon (4/1700/1000)." The fog seemed to return to the field in the shape of a dragon with large hindquarters and short forelimbs. Its entire body seemed almost vaporous and untouchable. "Final Judgment prevents me from attacking this turn, and so it is your turn."

Mitsuro took her card, somewhat hesitant about attacking again. This game Starza started was clearly not a typical kind of psychic assault. If she had complete control over this ability to draw out memories, it wouldn't affect her, too. The way both duelists became victims of this new rule—destroy a monster and remember a trauma—was exactly like the stories of the ancient Shadow Games. And if this was a Shadow Game, then the odds were stacked against her.

_The memories must be intended to psych me out,_ she concluded. _I must be stronger than that._

Yet her resolve was shaken by the threat of remembering something she didn't want to remember. What if she were forced to remember the day she learned about her brother's disappearance at sea? What if she remembered the way her mother cried for a month when the ship was discovered—destroyed and without a single surviving crew member?

And what if she remembered losing a duel to Slifer the Sky Dragon and being sent to the Shadow Realm?

"I'll set one monster and end my turn."

Starza smirked gently. "I don't blame you for chickening out."

"I'm not chickening out," Mitsuro argued. She held up her only remaining card and pointed out, "I just have limited options right now."

"Fair enough. On that note, I should increase my own options. I'll activate Coastal Piracy." A pirate ship appeared in front of her, anchored behind the Cloud Dragon and the monster zones. "I'll also summon Pearl Dragon (4/1000/2200)." The scales of this white dragon were lustrous and appeared to be crystalline.

"I'll send Cloud Dragon (1700) to attack." The dragon became formless briefly, reappearing as a barrage of powerful winds on Mitsuro's facedown Heavy Assault Ship (4/1400/1500). The ship never sank, but it was forced to retreat and settle in Mitsuro's spell zone.

Mitsuro explained, "In two turns, Heavy Assault Ship will be destroyed, and it will take with it the strongest monster on the field."

Starza nodded. "In that case, I escape the psychic effects of my memory game because your monster wasn't destroyed." Mitsuro didn't respond. "Well, now Pearl Dragon (1000) can attack directly." The iridescent dragon released from its jowls a shimmering beam of light composed of thousands of crushed pearls. They pelted Mitsuro directly, but during the melee, the Coastal Piracy ship circled Starza and stole a card from her deck. "When my dragons deal damage, Coastal Piracy enables me to draw a card. I will set one card and end my turn."

Mitsuro 3700 – 1000 = 2700: Starza 3700.

Even if her memories lacked any control over her, to end the duel, Mitsuro would need to destroy Starza's monsters. She needed a stronger hand to mount any kind of real effort.

"Perfect. Open the Gateway forces the both of us to combine our Graveyards and hands with our decks and draw three new cards." A floodgate on the field opened, sucking all cards from the Graveyard back to the deck staging area. Now Mitsuro had options. "I'll summon Submarine – Ohio Class (4/1400/1200)." The body of a black submarine appeared on the ground as if surfacing from the dirt. "I'll also set one more card."

"Very well," Starza said. "I will play Revive the Fallen." The ground became like a sea of vines pushing toward the surface a skeleton hidden underneath. The skeleton took the shape of a dragon with a tyrannosaurus-sized head. "This is Bladewing the Risen (8/2300/1200). When this monster is summoned from the grave, it brings also revives Rorix Bladewing (8/2300/1200)." The second monster was a red-scaled replica of the winged tyrannosaur.

"An attack would be a phenomenally bad idea for you," Mitsuro warned.

Starza answered, "I will do what I have to. And I have enough monsters to end this duel right now." The skeletal dragon flapped its skinless wings and high-stepped down the field toward the submarine.

Suddenly a series of cannons appeared in front of Mitsuro behind her submarine. "Coastal Defense changes the attack points of all monsters on the field to match the strongest monster." Her Ohio Class (+2300) submarine gained weaponry to match Bladewing the Risen (2300). "In addition, targeting my submarine creates an immediate direct attack on you." The submarine released two torpedoes that exploded in front of Starza.

"I'll survive," she declared, "but the same can't be said for the only defense you have left." Bladewing bit into the submarine and clamped down strongly, piercing the outer rim of the boat and sending it sinking under the surface.

But the submarine released a series of depth charges that exploded inside the skeletal jaws and shattered the dragon's entire bone structure.

Mitsuro's vision blurred and she felt light-headed. "Here it goes."

* * *

_It was rare lately that a Flip Effect monster activates on the owner's turn, and it made Mitsuro happy that she got to keep her card long enough to use it herself. "I'll flip Mine Layer (3/1300/1500), and doing so summons a Mine Token (1/100/100) to your side of the field." A long, gray ship glided through the field, dropping a heavy, black ball with pressure-sensitive spikes on Rachel's field before returning to Mitsuro._

_Rachel's smile was soft and calming. She held her expression constant throughout the duel so far, and it was already starting to bother her opponent._

_Speaking softly, she asked, "That's the kind of mine that impeded your brother's ship, isn't it?"_

_Mitsuro scoffed with offense, but she did feel fear about the mine she dropped on the field._

"_He was leaving Duel Academy when it happened, wasn't he? A fresh graduate starting out his career in the Navy as Captain Itachu."_

"_You stop it," Mitsuro pleaded angrily. Her fingers tightened around her cards in frustration. "I'll Tribute Mine Layer to summon Destroyer Class – USS Liberty (5/2000/2300)." Her copper-toned Destroyer class ship sailed onto the field, fully armed for battle._

"_That's the ship," Rachel commented. "That's the same ship he sailed."_

_Mitsuro found herself drained of spirit. Remembering her brother's disappearance at sea put her in a depressive mood, and she no longer wanted to spend time in class._

"_That ship looks unnatural on the field, doesn't it? It's supposed to be in ruins. Right?"_

_With a heavy, sorrowful sigh, Mitsuro agreed._

"_Then make things right again. Forfeit the duel."_

_Mitsuro nodded slowly. Things didn't look right with her brother's ship on the duel field. "You're right. I need to be alone." She walked away from the field and the Duel Disk lost the signal. It didn't matter if Rachel was officially the winner; Mitsuro just needed time with her thoughts._

* * *

Starza couldn't enjoy Mitsuro's pain. She had to deal with her own.

* * *

_One of Scotland's ancient universities, founded at the request of King James II, Glasgow University hosted 23,000 students and almost six thousand faculty members. Its reputation as one of the top educational institutions in the United Kingdom and across the world drew students from all walks of life. Any student wishing to study law, medicine, teaching, or the church was welcomed and encouraged._

_But within any reputable institution, and often hidden deepest within the _most_ reputable institutions, students with sufficiently open minds and a curiosity about life beyond the limits of the Earth will gather and seek the boundaries of one's plane of existence._

_Within the heavy, enclosed walls of the cobblestone basement, the stench of stale air mixed with incense filled the room, though the even the sweet smell of incense was tainted by the briefest scent of blood. Sparse light was made available only through flickering candles, and four students wearing heavy robes and nothing underneath gathered inside the circle of black candles._

_Salman drew the intricate A on a sheet of paper so clean it reflected the light from the wicks. "Bear this symbol in mind and focus."_

"_Who will say the chant?" asked Lorn._

_Tobias answered, "I will." He took a deep breath and all four students envisioned the sigil intricately drawn in front of them. As soon as breath escaped his lips, his cohort began chanting softly: "Andromalius. Andromalius."_

_Tobias's voice was thick and strong as he spoke. He was small in stature and his hair was already turning white, but his high-status background and history of getting his way in everything built him tremendous confidence and gave him a commanding presence._

"_Lord Satan, by your grace, grant me, I pray thee the power to conceive in my mind and to execute that which I desire to do, the end which I would attain by thy help, O Mighty Satan, the one True God who livest and reignest forever and ever. I entreat thee to inspire Andromalius to manifest before me that he/she may give me true and faithful answer, so that I may accomplish my desired end, provided that it is proper to his/her office. This I respectfully and humbly ask in Your Name, Lord Satan, may you deem me worthy, Father."_

_The four conjurers waited patiently while chanting the selected demon's name._

"_Andromalius. Andromalius."_

_A few moments more passed with no obvious change in the atmosphere. Lorn was the first to break his momentary trance. He began fidgeting impatiently, constantly shifting in his seat and grunting loudly and irregularly. Growing into a short man whose features were still incredibly boyish, he developed a lack of patience and turned on his charm using cologne to keep life moving quickly._

_His noise disturbed Starza. She was the voice of compassion in the group. She noticed the look of anger in Salman's eye and pre-empted his frustration with Lorn._

"_Why did we pick Andromalius again?"_

"_He commands thirty-six legions of demons," Tobias explained, breaking his own position. "His power can locate and punish thieves and wicked hearts. Bringing him into this world will restore the world to its purer origins."_

_Salman agreed, "Andromalius will eliminate evil in the world."_

_A moment of silence passed between them when Starza suggested, "Maybe we're doing it wrong. Are you sure you recited the correct chant?"_

"_Of course," Tobias snapped. He looked around for a moment and realized the problem. "Who arranged these candles?"_

"_I did," Lorn answered._

_Tobias gritted his teeth and let out a low growl. He stood with frustration and snatched one of the black candles. "Demons hate circles, you idiot!"_

_Lorn looked confused. "It's not a circle; it's a pentagram."_

_Tobias continued his rant. "A pentagram has to be connected in the middle. Right now it's just a pentagon! And it still looks like a circle!"_

"_Please don't yell," Starza pleaded. "Maybe all we need to do is set up the ritual again."_

_Annoyance evolved into anger and Tobias planted the candle in place without caution. Without a steady base, the candle toppled and the flame hopped to the floor, reacting with the hemoglobin and cholesterol in the dried blood and igniting a much larger fire._

_Instantly, the temperature of the room spiked as flames skipped over floor space to every dried patch of blood accumulated in a century of rituals. Panicked and short of breath, the group huddled together in one clear spot only meters from the stairs. They weren't far from freedom, but that would require running through the fire, and all were too scared to try._

_Not a word exchanged between them. Starza thought she'd rather burn to death than sit through the continued esophageal strain and dry choking with suffocation._

_And then the blindness set in. She felt her spirit leave her body and enter another world._

* * *

When Starza returned from her memories, she looked at the opponent before her and the situation between them. The duel wasn't over yet. "I still have three monsters capable of attacking and 5000 points between them."

"I have one trump, too," Mitsuro countered. She activated her remaining Trap—the one she set on her first turn. "Kill Or Be Killed destroys all cards on the field and deals 500 points of damage to each of us for each card it destroys."

"You are insane!" Starza exclaimed. "You will suffer through your memories!"

Clenching a fist and gritting her teeth, Mitsuro grudgingly acknowledged the truth: "I survived everything once and it made me stronger. I don't fear my memories."

First, Pearl Dragon exploded in a massive pillar of fire and a shower of pearls pelted both duelists. Cloud Dragon exploded as well, afflicting each duelist with clouds of heavy, toxic smoke. Rorix Bladewing exploded and fragments of red scales struck both duelists. The pirate ship on Starza's field exploded and hit both duelists with a shower of coins and driftwood.

Finally, Mitsuro's Heavy Assault Ship exploded.

Mitsuro 2700 – 2500 = 200: Starza 3700 – 2300 – 2500 = 0.

Both duelists fell back and slammed onto the ground. Mitsuro suddenly felt an incredible heaviness in her body and struggled against the intense urge to sleep. But try as she might, she wasn't able to resist the sweet, soothing relaxation of letting her body shut down.

* * *

_Dave Strickland was the most successful duelist Duel Academy ever saw. With an undefeated official record and one of the Egyptian God Cards, he was invincible on the duel field. Given the additional strength of the Shadow Realm, he gathered a large collection of souls with ease. Even the island's strongest burgeoning duelists couldn't stand against him._

_Mitsuro could no longer feel the sand beneath her feet as she stared into the eyes of Slifer the Sky Dragon, the enormous red dragon whose two mouths devoured duel monsters and subjected human souls to the torment of the Shadow Realm._

_When her body collapsed, Mitsuro spirit found itself in a dark room with walls painted pure white. The lights were low and the air smelled stale and somewhat rotten. The low light showed her a single bed made of metal and holding a sleeping body above the floor. The odd thing was the thin, cloth sheet blanketing the entire body. It was completely motionless the entire time she moved closer, and she suspected the body wasn't asleep after all._

_Despair beat Mitsuro down to the floor when she lifted the sheet and witnessed the cadaver's face; it was her brother. Every characteristic was as she remembered him, but his eyes were glossy, his skin was pale, and he was so much smaller. Overall, he appeared lifeless._

"_It can't be," she cried. "He's not dead."_

"_He is," spoke the faceless coroner. He handed her a sheet of paper and explained DNA analyses confirmed the cadaver's identity._

_Despite her brother's disappearance at sea, the lack of a body always gave Mitsuro the hope that he might still be alive somewhere. Her very worst fear was to receive incontrovertible evidence that he was, in fact, dead._

* * *

Mitsuro jerked awake and almost butted heads with the bearded, Greek face that hovered over her.

"Darius?" she uttered. Gripping his collar, she steadied herself and started to regain control over her body. "Where am I?"

"You are in Starza's office," he answered. "It appears as if you passed out during a duel."

"No," she grunted. "I won the duel. But she did something to us. It was like a Shadow Game." She pressed her head up against Darius's chest for a moment, simply appreciating the physical contact, and then she climbed to her feet with some help. "I felt like I was trapped in the Shadow Realm for a second time."

"Did you hear that straight from the horse's ass?"

"From her _mouth_?" she repeated with correction. "Not in those words, but we've heard enough about the Shadow Realm during class. Plus, I had direct experience with it sophomore year with the god cards. She forced me to relive my most traumatic moments."

Darius nodded. "Miss Almasi has some kind of psychic power."

"I'm aware."

"Is that why she does not awaken?"

Mitsuro looked down at Starza's unconscious body. Her breathing was shallow and irregular. She didn't respond to verbal or physical stimuli, even when Mitsuro tried stepping on her foot with increasing pressure. The signs pointed toward Starza's being in a coma.

"Excuse me," Sora said sternly as he stepped in the room. He looked surprised by the scene in front of him, but when he didn't say anything or ask any questions, Mitsuro assumed he was scanning her brain for answers instead of listening to potential lies. "She lost to you? How? You've lost to _all_ of us already."

Darius put his hand on Mitsuro's shoulder reassuringly. "She was the only one strong enough to survive living her past a second time."

Mitsuro patted his hand, grateful for his comfort. To Sora, she asked, "Is her mind stuck in the Shadow Realm?"

"She should be so lucky," Sora answered. Motioning with his head, he indicated, "You two get out. I'll see to her." When he didn't immediately evoke a response, he added more forcefully, "Scram! No one needs to know you were here."

Mitsuro thought about saying something, but she opted against it as Darius led her from the office, keeping a hand on her shoulder in case she started to collapse again.

Sora looked down at the unconscious psychic who just recently took control of his mind and forced him to give her information he didn't want to spill. "Serves you right," he uttered. "I only wish I could see what horror those demons will subject you to."

* * *

_Some maintenance workers discovered the basement room on fire and the campus police extinguished the flames with the help of Strathclyde Fire and Rescue. The room was empty save for some candles determined to be the source of the fire and the charred body of a single, male victim, lucky to be alive yet in critical condition. Authorities couldn't immediately determine the identity of the victim or whether he was the one who started the fire._

"_Tobias could die and it's our fault!" Starza snapped at Salman and Lorn._

"_Would you keep it down?" Salman demanded. They were on a sidewalk near the East Quad of the main building—not a good place for anonymity. People passed by constantly on their ways to and from class and the quad._

_Starza didn't think getting caught was important given Tobias's physical condition. Keeping her tone of urgency while lowering her voice, she grumbled, "Dr. Reid says he might not make it through surgery."_

"_There's nothing we can do about that," Salman told her. "We need to worry more about the vision we saw."_

"_Judgment Day," Lorn agreed. "The day god comes to Earth and brings the world to an end."_

_Salman made a face. "What? That's not what happened. The world was already coming to an end when god came back and _saved_ the world. Those seals we saw are what prevent god from saving us."_

_Lorn scoffed. "What?"_

"_All the gods and demons we try to communicate with are prevented from entering our world by spiritual seals. If we learn how to break them, we can allow them to come to us and eliminate wickedness from this world."_

"_You're an idiot," Lorn argued. "Inviting an ethereal being to the world will initiate the rapture and end the world. Righteous people go to heaven, sinners go to hell, and everyone goes to purgatory." He looked at Starza. "I feel bad about Tobias, too, but surviving surgery won't do him any good if he gets taken up in the rapture."_

_Salman huffed in frustration. "If you truly believe god's return is a bad thing, then I have nothing more to say to you."_

_Both men looked to Starza. It was time for her to cast the deciding vote. Tobias's accident aside, how did she interpret the vision? Was god's return the way to save the world or the way to end it?_

_She remembered the order being earthquakes, raining fire, and then the fire went out. Hesitantly, she admitted, "Salman's view is how I saw it. Plus, maybe breaking god's seals can revive Tobias."_

_Scornfully, Lorn growled and stormed off without another word. Starza never saw him again._

"_We are better off without him," Salman reminded her._

* * *

Just as Sora positioned Starza over the couch in her office, Rachel announced her presence with a stern, "Hey!"

Not realizing anyone was there, Sora dropped Starza suddenly, causing her head to bounce hard on the arm of the couch. He took a deep breath to settle his nerves and said, "Nice. Next time just throw a snake at me."

Ignoring his sarcasm, Rachel asked, "What happened?"

"She lost a duel to Mitsuro. According to Mitsuro, Starza used her power to summon the Shadows. I can't swear what happened, but I do know what the stories say about losing a Shadow Game."

Salman walked into the room soon with Elaine close in tow. He didn't seem to react at all when he saw the scene. Elaine, on the other hand, seemed elated to find Starza unconscious.

"Well, look at Miss Self-Righteous now," she taunted. "What a shame. She didn't even last through half the duration of the ritual."

Salman admitted, "Despite her fortitude in surviving the ritual, Master Pegasus was not selective enough with the participants. She was weak and fell behind. We continue the plan without her."

"Harsh," Sora uttered, but he shut up quickly when Salman shot him a glare.

Rachel asked, "Did the twins succeed?"

Holding Uria, Lord of Searing Flame in his hand, Salman claimed, "They did." The blue-haired Aura Windwalker stepped forward alongside a nearly identical young man. Although groomed differently, both had the same hair, the same build, and the same clothes. Gender aside, they really looked identical in every way. "Bryan is still unaware of Azure; he only knows of Aura's existence, which made distracting him easy while Azure claimed his god card."

"That means we are almost ready," Elaine spoke with her enthusiasm barely contained. "In just more than one week, the full solar eclipse will break the seals and bring salvation to this Earth."

"Yes," Salman agreed. "And that means, my Horsemen, that it is time to take this little 'game' of ours to the next level."

* * *

_What did you think? I tried a slightly different approach with the telling of this chapter. I got out all the information I needed to. Now I can return to doling out the rest of the plot points in small doses. The next chapter will delve headlong into the purpose and the origin of the Thelemic Pantheon.  
_

_Credits:_  
_Darius Mantzios...tiramisu19_  
_Jason Maxim...Maxim and Knight_  
_Nathan Zislaw...Mavrik Zero_  
_Hillary Delaney...Nodqfan144_  
_Lili Von...Happy2BMe_  
_Carter Jade...Jaden2010  
Mitsuro Itachu & Sora Mikano...Titanic X  
Sean Bivins...DarkVestroia2_  
_Ivy Roaks...Mental Panda_  
_Hayley Wilson...TeamRocketDiva_  
_Maikeru Stone...onyxshade7  
Victor Rocks & Abel Shinzou...Iron-Arm-V_  
_Alister Kazama & Jessica Parks...ZaneKazama001_  
_Synthia Spencer...Madly Chessur_  
_Leila & Linear Lockhart & Azure Windwalker...Windraider__  
Logan Wilson...MercWithTheMouth13_  
_Allen Tebaro...Nouva17  
Tai Ishihara...ZAFT Prime  
Cain Valin...FE96jAFFAR_  
_Kusuma Megumi & Ringo Takagame...VStriker_  
_Rachel Avila...Amourenvie_  
_Starza's Magic: The Gathering deck...drake202_  
_Everyone else so far...YamiRuss_


	17. Tier 2

Chapter 17: Tier 2

Lucy was pleased to have the weekend off of class; it gave her time to work on her course project. But she was shocked when first thing Monday morning, Salman threw a surprise test at the entire class. It was far from a typical test, however; the questions asked for information about ritual preparations and beliefs—stuff that was mentioned in passing but never discussed to such a level of detail.

"Magick can be defined as the science and art of causing change to occur in conformity with Will. Explain?" Even as Lucy read the question to herself, she wasn't quite sure what answer to give. She had a little more luck describing the act of summoning a demon, or so she hoped. She answered based on an article she read; summoning demons is really a way of unlocking aspects of the unconscious mind.

After she turned in the test, she desperately felt the need for a greasy lunch. And there was a diner near the beach that Sora raved about during their single date. When the hot food touched her stomach, Lucy felt like she received an internal massage.

"This is a perfect way to follow a pop test," she told her classmates. "I've never taken such a stressful test in my life."

"I have," Darius suggested. "It involved being on a treadmill with wires sticking out."

Bryan shook his head. "No. That's actually a stress test. Were you sick?"

"No. It was part of a physical examination before enrolling in Duel Academy. I am in excellent cardiac condition."

"Well, good for you," Bryan said sarcastically. "Does it occur to anyone why a physical exam is necessary when we all just play card games?"

Hillary explained, "It was probably less about his physical condition and more about his health. He did join us from Greece, remember?"

"Oh, yeah. That makes more sense." Lucy rubbed his arm reassuringly.

Even Numbers had to admit, "I wasn't really prepared for that test. It felt like the questions kind of ignored half of what we learned so far and focused on ritual magick." As an afterthought, she added, "At least I remember the extra 'k' is to distinguish rituals from stage magic. I just don't know how it figures into the class."

"I don't think it's part of anything academic," Mitsuro said. She'd been oddly quiet to that point, but everyone just assumed she was reeling from the alleged Shadow Game she managed to win. She was still pretty weakened physically by it, and mentally she was almost completely drained. The stress of reliving her most traumatic memories far outmatched a test no one studied for.

"What do you think that was about, then?" Hillary asked.

"I'm not positive, but now that Starza is out, something big is about to change." She took a breath before adding quietly, "The others in the class are connected to her."

"Right," Lucy said. "Something about taking control of Sora psychically." She made a face when she said, "And we already know Sora is telepathic. But what can everyone else do?"

Bryan pointed out, "Darius overhead Sora talking to that Rachel chick."

"Yes," Darius answered with a nod. "She has some ability to influence another's emotions. I believe she does so by reading body language and amplifying the primary emotion through hypnotic suggestion."

"What about the others?" Lucy wondered. "There must be two more of them."

Numbers asked, "Why?"

Looking at Mitsuro, she relayed, "Starza used the term _Horsemen_." Bryan hummed and folded his arms across his chest. "The stories of Judgment Day tell of four horsemen who bring war, famine, pestilence, and death to the earth."

"Two more," Hillary pondered. "Clearly, that girl Elaine is one of them. The way she made my cards disappear during the duel was nothing less than supernatural." Mitsuro agreed with that assumption.

"What about that Ringo girl?" Lucy offered. "She's been making predictions at incredibly long odds the whole class. She knew how many duels we'd get each day and who would win. She even knew Bryan was going to beat her."

"I beat everybody."

"Yeah, but how many of them know exactly what the final score will be?"

* * *

There was a note on the lab door telling everyone there would be no required class this afternoon; everyone was to work on their projects instead and email Salman if they needed help. Considering Starza led the afternoon sessions, it seemed like little surprise that Salman canceled the meeting. He probably had nothing planned.

In the morning, the students were in for a surprise. They stepped out of their rooms into a hallway painted red—not white like it was they closed their doors for the night.

"Was it always red?" Lucy asked Mitsuro.

"No." She pointed out the location of the nearest hallway; it was twenty feet closer than the previous day. "Something's different." She kept her footsteps light as she moved through the hallway, ready at any moment to react as the situation called for.

"What's the problem?" Sora asked as he popped out of the hallway. If not for telepathy, he might have felt Mitsuro's fist connect to his chin. "Awfully jumpy this morning, aren't you? Time to switch to decaf."

Mitsuro calmed herself, but she still clenched her fist as she held a single finger in Sora's face. "What is going on here?"

Sora just smiled at her and leaned in so his face was awkwardly close to hers. "I wouldn't want to spoil the surprise for you. Don't worry though. Once you figure out that everything is backwards, you'll find everything is right where you left it."

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

Sora just winked at her and walked away, but not before making a kissy face at Lucy.

Mitsuro grumbled, "I hate him even more than English words can describe."

As irritating as he may be, Sora's description was apt; Lucy and her cohort eventually found the lecture hall, but it was on the opposite side of the building from its usual location. It was almost like stepping into a reflection of the tower as they remembered it, save for the color change. Salman waited in the lecture hall, finishing his setup as all the students entered. The lecture hall looked the same as before, though there was more light coming in the windows than usual.

"Come in," Salman encouraged everyone. "I'm glad you found everything okay."

"Okay?" Mitsuro repeated with disdain. "What's going on? Why is everything all turned around?"

"Life is all about change," Salman explained, "and that's what a great deal of today's lecture will cover. We will begin by discussing three of the gods of Egypt. Nut, the sky goddess who represents Everything; Hadit, the spirit inside every human and the core of every star; and Ra-Hoor-Khuit, the composite god of the sun and the moon. Afterwards, I promise you a logical explanation for the change in your surroundings.

"Now, according to the teachings of this pantheon of deities, the central task for each man and woman is the discovery and completion of one's _true will_, which you may recall is the term given to one's grand destiny within the whole of the universe. Will is not determined through individual preference or effort but from acting in perfect harmony with Nature. The enlightened person is one who foregoes individual desires and connects directly with the Self/Universe nexus."

Salman led the lecture as usual, but he started slowly to give the students a chance to get into a learning mood. But no one was really interested in the ritual magicks endorsed by one of the dozens of incarnations of the Egyptian sun god when the physical environment changed so noticeably.

When the lecture period ended, Salman put a smile on his face. "Many of you, I'm sure, were curious about yesterday's surprise test. Well, based on the results, I have determined our true Thelemic Pantheon." His final slide showed a hierarchy of all the students in the class. All the students from Duel Academy were on the bottom rung with Kusuma and Rinny; Sora was one step higher, Aura was above him, Elaine came next, and Rachel sat atop the list.

Lucy quickly noticed that three of the students in the hierarchy were suspected Horsemen related to Starza. But was it coincidence, or were they wrong about the fourth Horseman's identity? Or maybe Rinny really was a Horseman and Aura was picked by Salman to be a red herring.

Or maybe Lucy just didn't have a clue what was going on.

"Is this, like, our class ranks?" Kusuma asked.

"If that motivates you," Salman accepted. "Allow me to explain: This building holds seven tiers. Until today, you only saw the first floor."

Bryan chuckled. "Of course we only saw the…" His grin faded quickly as he realized what Salman was saying. "We're on the second floor."

"Correct, Mr. Knight."

Darius spoke up, "I do not understand. The elevator was not functioning."

"That's because you didn't know where to look." Salman brought up a picture of the tower's blueprints. Of particular note was the image of the tower's entire center being one elevator. "Your dorm rooms are each separate elevators. While you slept, you all rose to the second floor. And this is where the challenge begins."

Salman waited patiently while the students spent two minutes rumbling amongst themselves about the bizarre nature of this course, and particularly of this building.

"What is the practical purpose?" Numbers wondered.

"You would have to ask the owner what his long-term plans are. But I suspect it will be very similar to the purpose it will serve us. Here's how." Referencing his posted hierarchy, he described, "Sora Mikano is the representative of this floor, and there are three people placed above him. Those three will each represent their respective floors displayed on the hierarchy. As for the rest of you… Until you defeat the floor's representative, you may not progress through the tower."

Mitsuro translated, "So we need to beat Sora in order to reach the third floor. I take it there's some kind of reward for reaching the seventh floor?"

"Of course. But there is one catch: Any duelist who loses must remain on the current floor."

Bryan frowned. "So it will be like our survival duels. One person can feasibly take down all of the opponents, or we could end up losing every duelist to a single representative." His expression dropped and his aura grew intense; everyone sitting immediately next to him felt the sudden chill and got goose bumps. Lucy grabbed his hand and stroked it, which succeeded in calming him significantly.

"Return to your rooms now and go find lunch," Salman instructed. "And think about the strategy the eight of you would like to employ. You will begin dueling against Sora this afternoon."

* * *

As many stars as are in the night sky, that's how many duelists have different strategies to try against Salman's chosen horsemen. The duelists not previously distinguished by Salman gathered at the lab room-slash-duel arena twenty minutes before the scheduled start in order to figure out their approach to this tiered tournament.

"We should let us weaker duelists go first," Hillary suggested. "That way the rest of you will be able to see their strategies and adjust accordingly."

"The strong duelists should pave the way," Numbers argued. "It'd take someone on Pegasus's level to beat us."

Lucy sighed. "Why don't we just let Bryan take them all down?" Bryan liked that idea.

Mitsuro took the calculated approach. "We need to be more cautious than that. Much as it pains me to admit, Bryan is essentially our trump card. We should save him for last. We still aren't sure what Elaine's ability is, and who knows how many of us Rachel will be able to talk into giving up?"

"I agree," Darius said. "They have the advantage. And I suspect Salman may be waiting at the top of the jeep."

Kusuma whispered to him, "Top of the _heap_. But yeah, I think you might be right." He and Rinny remained generally silent. Kusuma was playing with salt packets—pouring one on the tabletop and tying his hood tight enough to drown out the sound—while Rinny stared bright-eyed at the animated gestures of the debate.

"You think someone's going to get punched?" she whispered to Kusuma.

He groaned, "I hope it's me."

With a little more debate, Mitsuro determined a compromise. "I will take the first duel." Recounting her summer tournament, she said, "I've dueled Sora before. I know his strategy, I know his cards, and I can beat him."

Hillary pointed out, "But he can read minds. He even beat Numbers. How are you going to beat him if he knows all the traps you set?"

Mitsuro acknowledged the challenge, but, "He has more trouble reading me than anyone else. You guys are like open books to him whereas I'm like a leather-bound book with twine wrapped around it. It'll take longer for him to get in my head, and I'll be able to shut him down before that happens."

"Are you sure?" Darius asked her.

She smiled at him. "Yeah. I'll get this chump."

Darius accepted her confidence. She was about to pursue a post as a Naval officer, after all. "Alright. I suppose that will be our strategy for today. What will we do for the next round?"

While everyone else began discussing Aura Windwalker and the psychic abilities she may or may not have, Bryan stepped back and looked at the patterns of the salt on Kusuma's desk. They somewhat resembled constellations.

"What do you see?" Bryan asked him.

Kusuma reacted with a start. "What do you mean?"

"Does the salt tell our future?"

"That's ridiculous," Kusuma forced a laugh.

"So are a psychic man and a girl who makes cards disappear." He eyed Kusuma carefully, still unable to see the guy's eyes through all that hair.

Kusuma felt uncomfortable being watched so closely. He fidgeted in his seat. With a sigh, he said, "I can't tell how it will end. I just know that Mitsuro is going to duel against Sora, and it's going be long and painful."

"Does that mean she will lose?" Bryan wondered. His gaze drifted to Rinny. "What do you see?"

"_See?_" she repeated with emphasis. "I don't _see_ things." As she spoke, a grin crawled across her face. "I just make bets on what's going to happen. It's sheer coincidence that I'm right more often than not." She lost it at that point and chuckled. "Oh, who am I kidding? Yes, I can see the future to a degree."

Bryan narrowed his eyes. "But you're not one of the Horsemen, are you?"

Rinny made a face. "I don't know what that means."

"Then I'm right. Your ability is unrelated to Starza."

"We just met Starza here," Kusuma said with certainty. "Rinny doesn't know how she got that ability. She's just had it her whole life. Same with me. And our foresight is hardly perfect."

"I got that from the fact that you're reading _salt_," Bryan noted.

Rinny admitted, "I can only see a limited time into the future. But don't worry about Mitsuro; she'll win against Mr. Telepathy. Reading her mind and predicting her moves isn't enough to win; he still needs to have the correct cards at the correct time to counter her strategy. She'll be fine."

* * *

Aura, Elaine, and Rachel stood behind Salman, like a small army ready to back him up if needed. Bryan eyed Salman like an elk waiting for an opening to attack a superior. He didn't know what Salman's connection was to the Ghost at Duel Academy, but he and Sora both bore the name _Death_, and Salman knew why.

But Lucy was more concerned with the duel on the field. Sora had powerful telepathic abilities; he would not only be able to predict and counter every one of Mitsuro's abilities, but he also projected into people's minds images he wanted them to see. She remembered what Bryan told her about Sora's deck—that his Heartless cards weren't really based on _Kingdom Hearts_.

Sora started the duel with nothing more than a facedown monster. Mitsuro summoned an assault ship with a thin frame and light armaments—Light Assault Ship (3/1300/1600). Her ship attacked Sora's field and revealed a shadow in the shape of a large ant; Sora called it Heartless – Shadow (2/300/400). Before the Shadow disappeared, the black energy jumped across the field and dissolved the ship.

Lucy noted the card's characteristics: low power and a flip effect that destroys a monster on the field. "Man-Eater Bug," she decided. She leaned to Bryan and whispered, "You were right. His cards are all based on real cards."

Bryan, still focused on Salman, repeated to her, "Yep. Laced with eel lard."

Slowly, Lucy's gaze drifted with confusion toward Bryan. But she just rolled her eyes and returned her attention to the duel.

Mitsuro needed to focus on the duel. Without a monster to defend her, a facedown card was critical. But she didn't have one available in her hand, and setting a Spell Card as a bluff wouldn't work well against Sora.

"I'll activate Defensive Covering Fire." A series of shore-based ramparts appeared in her Spell/Trap Zone. "This will prevent either of us from attacking for three turns." That ended her turn.

"I'll give you _one_," Sora offered. "I'll set one monster and a facedown card."

Mitsuro drew and received a Navy Hospital Ship—a low-power card that would allow her to bolster her Life Points for what was likely to be a grueling duel ahead.

"I wouldn't try that," Sora suggested. She shot him a look and he replied, "What? I just told you I was only going to give you one free turn before I render your Spell Card useless. That means you'd just end up with a 500-point monster in attack mode without a defense."

He was working quickly if he already knew what cards she was holding. But he did make a good point about leaving her ship defenseless, and for only a 500-LP boost, it wasn't worth the risk. Instead, she decided, "I'll set one monster and two facedown cards."

Sora smiled. "You can call it a facedown Tanker Ship. I don't mind."

"Fine," she grumbled. "It's your turn. Do your worst."

"Oh, I plan to," he said, "because even my worst is better than you. I'll flip my Heartless – Powerwild (4/1200/1500)." This monster looked like a blue monkey with raccoon eyes and the Heartless logo on its chest. "By paying 2000 Life Points, this wicked monkey gets to take one monster from your Graveyard." Just like that, Mitsuro's Light Assault Ship (1300) appeared on Sora's field. "Normally this ship would be perfect right now for its effect to negate Traps that destroy monsters, but that's not what your current Trap Card can do.

"No, instead I will send both of these monsters back to the Graveyard to summon a much more powerful warrior to the field." A black hole appeared on Sora's field and produced a tall warrior, clad in blue pants and a yellow jacket, with silver hair on his head and a black keyblade by his side. "Here's Riku, the Original Key Bearer (8/3000/2100)."

Mitsuro knew about Riku. He was potentially a major threat. But then again, he still couldn't attack with Defensive Covering Fire on the field.

"Are you still on that?" Sora asked. "I told you, it's useless. Here's why." He activated his facedown card. "Zero Strike negates the activation and effects of all Spells for two turns." In the blink of an eye, Riku dashed across the field and cut through Mitsuro's Tanker (2/0/1400), too fast for the Defensive ramparts even to respond to the threat. The energy from Riku's blade lingered and affected Mitsuro directly.

"Riku's attack hurts you even when your monsters are in defense mode."

She scoffed. "Well, now I get two Tanker Tokens (1/500/500)." Two additional Tankers appeared on her side of the field after her Tanker Ship was revealed.

"Yeah, but we both know that won't really help." He pointed to his head. "The only thing I don't already know about your cards is which one you'll draw next."

Mitsuro 8000 – 1600 = 6400: Sora 8000 – 2000 = 6000.

Taking Sora's advice, Mitsuro put her faith in her next card. "I'll sacrifice one Token to set a monster in defense mode."

Sora laughed. "I know what it is."

"Fine. I'll set _Defender_ in defense mode."

Mitsuro could tell Sora was enjoying this. She beat him last time, but something was different now. He wasn't all over the board; he had more focus, more control, and more confidence. His telepathy was obviously stronger, but there was something mystical in his eyes—they shone with a pale light.

"Here we go," he said. "I'll summon Kairi, the Princess of Heart (4/1200/1200)." A slender young woman appeared on the field, just shorter than Riku. She wore a pink minidress over a white halter top, and her hair was long and dark red. "You may not have met; Kairi can't be destroyed in battle."

"But she's weak," Mitsuro pointed out.

Sora faked a look of shock. "That's just rude. Riku? Teach her a lesson." His warrior leaped across the field and slashed Mitsuro's facedown ship. The force of his slash carried through the mighty destroyer but the blade did not pierce the hull.

"My ship isn't destroyed by monsters with 3000 points or more."

"Riku deals damage across defense mode," Sora reminded. "And Kairi (1200) is strong enough to destroy your other Tanker Token (500)." Wielding a golden keyblade, Kairi ran across the field and slashed through the tanker. "I'll set one card and end my turn here."

Mitsuro 6400 – 600 = 5800: Sora 6000.

Mitsuro lucked out with Pot of Greed, giving her two cards Sora hadn't already seen in her hand; maybe she could put something together. "You probably already know now what strategy I have planned," Mitsuro acknowledged, "but you didn't know I would get these: By removing Defender on the field and Liberty and Guardian in my hand from play, I can fuse them into USS Liberation (10/3500/3400)." The Liberation resembled three destroyers welded together, equipped with the weaponry of an entire fleet and the size of three monster zones.

"You're right," Sora admitted. "I didn't think you'd get that card already." He held up his hand and showed that he only held one card. "I do know that I have the hand advantage. And as long as Riku and Kairi are both on the field, they protect one another. Kairi draws all attacks and can't be destroyed, and Riku nullifies the damage."

Mitsuro didn't care about hand advantage; she had field presence with her ace card. "I don't need to attack your monsters. I'll summon Navy Hospital Ship (4/500/2000)." This ship was a long, white, almost luxurious ship equipped with medical supplies and operating rooms and marked on the hull by large red crosses. "Before I use it, the Hospital Ship gives me 500 additional LP." A ring of healing energy expanded with the ship at its center.

"Now I'll Tribute the hospital ship to enable Liberation to land a direct attack."

"That's what I've been waiting for," Sora commented. "I'll activate Slowga." A clock face made from energy appeared on the ship's bow, slowing its progress as it sailed forward. Only half of the cannons fired from the deck; the other half stalled as soon as the firing mechanisms were activated. "It cuts the power of all monsters on the field by half until the end of the turn."

Mitsuro hoped to deal more damage, but 1750 was still a significant portion. Unfortunately, her facedown card didn't give her a lot of options against a monster as strong as Riku.

"I'll end my turn."

Mitsuro 5800 + 500 = 6300: Sora 6000 – 1750 = 4250.

"I thought you might. I'll activate Magnega to revive three of your ships in defense mode." Navy Hospital Ship (2000), Tanker Ship (1400), and Light Assault Ship (1600) reappeared as part of Mitsuro's fleet. "That's all I've got for now."

"That's it? You raise my armada and quit? What the hell are you planning?" She watched Sora shrug but didn't believe him. Clearly he was planning something, but he didn't have any facedown cards, and he only had one in his hand. "Well, your monsters are going to protect one another, but if I send a ship back to the Graveyard, Liberation (3500) can attack directly again."

"Magnega doesn't allow that," Sora pointed out. "Your monsters can't be Tributed for any reason. You'll have to come up with something else. This better be a good draw."

She knew he was right. Mitsuro reached cautiously for her deck, but the doubt disappeared as soon as her fingers touched her deck. She drew and discovered Divine Liberation Strike, her ace ship's key support card.

* * *

"Something's not right," Kusuma commented. He grabbed the salt and dropped it to his desk a second time, watching the way the light reflected off the grains as they fell. "Something's different."

Rinny agreed. "Mitsuro wasn't supposed to be winning right now. She was supposed to pick up that card and use it to win."

Hillary was confused. "What card? What are you talking about?"

"It is the Shadows," Darius concluded. "They have grown too strong and brought Sora with them. If not for his psychic fortitude, he would be overcome already." He looked to Salman and remembered the conversation between Sora and Rachel the previous week. "Salman knew Mitsuro could resist the Shadows and hand-picked Death to defeat her."

"Do you think she's going to lose, then?" Lucy asked.

Rinny shrugged. "I can't see it anymore. She's on her own now."

* * *

"Damn," Mitsuro grumbled. She couldn't activate Divine Liberation Strike unless her Life Points were below 2000. The only option she had was to hope that Sora would hit her hard in the next turn, but not hard enough to beat her.

"Before I end my turn, I'll use Navy Hospital Ship's effect to take another 500 Life Points."

Mitsuro 6300 + 500 = 6800: Sora 4250.

"What's wrong? You draw a dud in a crucial moment?" He chuckled to himself as he drew. "I guess Riku is stronger than your ship after all." But his grin faded and darkened. "And this…" He laid a Spell and a heavy veil of shadows covered Riku. "…is Dark Aura." In a flash, Riku's clothes turned black without the insignia of the Heartless.

"Crap," was all Mitsuro could utter. She hadn't seen this specific card before, but knew enough about the game series to know that Dark Aura is Riku's most powerful attack.

"Dark Aura gives Riku (3000) the power of Darkness—to attack and destroy everything on the field."

"Everything? His points are too low to scratch the USS Liberation (3500), and I can do simple math; attacking my other monsters won't end the duel."

"About that…" He pointed on the field, not to Riku but to Kairi (1200). "Attack USS Liberation (3500)." The young girl ran across the field and swiped at the enormous ship, failing to make even the slightest scratch on the exterior hull. When the ship made its counterattack, Riku appeared just in time to deflect the ammunition.

"What was the point of that?"

Sora grinned. "Watch Riku." Responding to the anger he felt when Kairi was threatened, Riku (+5300) grew stronger, equal to the difference between Kairi's strength and the strength of the USS Liberation. "See how the Shadows make him stronger when someone threatens Kairi? Now try that math again."

Riku's body teemed with darkness, causing him to hover for just a moment before he struck. In the blink of an eye, he dashed across the field and cut through Navy Hospital Ship. Still hovering, he dashed again and destroyed Light Assault Ship. A third dash sliced Tanker Ship in half. And a fourth strike pierced the deck and the hull of the USS Liberation.

Mitsuro 6800 – 3300 – 3700 – 3900 – 1800 = 0: Sora 4250.

As soon as her Life Point counter hit zero, Mitsuro collapsed. Lucy gasped as she saw the overwhelming dark energy circling Mitsuro's body. She had a brief flashback of seeing the same thing happen to someone who lost a Shadow Game against her two years earlier.

"He has my god card," Bryan uttered. She wondered how Bryan knew that, but then she followed his gaze back to Salman. "That's how he expanded Sora's power. Mitsuro never stood a chance."

"We have to help her!" Lucy shouted.

He shook his head. "No, we don't. Look more carefully."

Taking some of Bryan's calm attitude, Lucy looked at her ailing friend more objectively. Mitsuro was out on the floor, but none of the circling Shadows ever actually entered her. Maybe it was her golden card that protected her… or maybe someone else did it.

Sora grunted heavily against the Shadows, his arms pulled in close to his chest as if to absorb the Shadows around him. He didn't stop until the air was clear and Mitsuro regained consciousness. Then with a full, deep breath, he folded his arms over his chest and smirked at the crowd.

"Who's next?"

* * *

_The Thelemic Pantheon has been chosen, and you have some idea what it represents by now. Darius steps up to duel against a duelist who can hear his strategies as he thinks them up, but Numbers has faith in his victory. Does he yet possess some trump card to break Sora's telepathy? And though Mitsuro may have lost, she is not out of the story yet. Now that she can no longer participate in the duels, she remains free to seek information about the Pantheon, its members, and its originator.  
_

_Credits:_  
_Darius Mantzios...tiramisu19_  
_Jason Maxim...Maxim and Knight_  
_Nathan Zislaw...Mavrik Zero_  
_Hillary Delaney...Nodqfan144_  
_Lili Von...Happy2BMe_  
_Carter Jade...Jaden2010  
Mitsuro Itachu & Sora Mikano...Titanic X  
Sean Bivins...DarkVestroia2_  
_Ivy Roaks...Mental Panda_  
_Hayley Wilson...TeamRocketDiva_  
_Maikeru Stone...onyxshade7  
Victor Rocks & Abel Shinzou...Iron-Arm-V_  
_Alister Kazama & Jessica Parks...ZaneKazama001_  
_Synthia Spencer...Madly Chessur_  
_Leila & Linear Lockhart & Azure Windwalker...Windraider__  
Logan Wilson...MercWithTheMouth13_  
_Allen Tebaro...Nouva17  
Tai Ishihara...ZAFT Prime  
Cain Valin...FE96jAFFAR_  
_Kusuma Megumi & Ringo Takagame...VStriker_  
_Rachel Avila...Amourenvie_  
_Starza's Magic: The Gathering deck...drake202_  
_Everyone else so far...YamiRuss_


	18. Gravekeeper's Mettle

Chapter 18: Gravekeeper's Mettle

Having just defeated Mitsuro, Sora all but invited the Shadows to consume her. But instead, Sora chose to absorb the Shadows that threatened her. Doing so consumed much of his own energy, but when the act was complete, he stood taller than before, and his gaze pierced more sharply.

"Who's next?"

Lucy turned her head to give a worried look to Numbers, but her eyes never left Sora. The man she could have dated—the man she may have even fallen for—appeared to her as a nearly perfect embodiment of the Shadows. His eyes shone with a pale light, and the air around him gave her visions of torment. She couldn't be sure in that moment whether Sora absorbed the Shadows in order to protect Mitsuro or to strengthen himself.

"Do choose carefully," Salman recommended. "I forgot to mention earlier, but regardless of a win or loss, the duelist you select will not progress to the next level. Put another way… Each of you will only duel one time. It is up to you whether you will reach the top."

Before Lucy could even voice an opinion about the next duelist, Darius stepped forward. "I accept the challenge."

"Darius?" Numbers called. But rather than argue, she asked, "Are you sure?"

He nodded. "I must. Though I knew of Sora's power, I failed to protect Mitsuro from him. I will accept the blame for that mistake and correct it now."

Sora's grin faded, somewhat out of character for him. He engaged his Keyblade-designed Duel Disk a second time. "Accepted. I have wanted to take you down since you spilled my secrets to your little friends. This will settle it."

Bryan looked to Kusuma and Rinny while Darius set himself up. "Is he going to be okay?"

Kusuma sighed with great frustration. "I can't tell. Something is going on here. It's like this dark energy is blocking me out or altering the future. I can't figure it out. I don't know what to do. I feel so helpless." He buried his head in his arms, and so Rinny placed a comforting hand on his shoulder.

"I'm blocked, too. Every time I try to catch some vision of the future, I see a different future from the one I just saw. I have no idea which one is right." She reached her arms around Kusuma and rested her head on his back. "It's like being blinded."

"Then we will put our faith in Darius," Numbers suggested. "He is strong, plus he has one advantage over Sora that none of us has." She smiled nervously at the field. "Just look at him." If Darius felt any fear over the situation, his eyes betrayed none of it.

"I will begin," Darius requested as he drew his hand.

Sora waved him off with one hand. "Whatever."

And once Darius had his opening hand, his thoughts became open broadcast to Sora. Every strategy, every move, every card…

"What the hell is _Kataskopos Gravekeeper Tou_?" he asked.

Darius cocked an eyebrow. "I was unaware you spoke Greek, although your pronunciation is precocious."

"It's what?" Sora asked. He stammered as he tried to figure out what was going on. He caught a stray thought from Numbers and realized, "Do you mean _atrocious_?"

Darius wasn't concerned with his misspeak. He set one monster and two facedown cards.

Sora again struggled with the thoughts he heard. "Vivlia Tou Fengariou?" He scoffed loudly before adding, "Vasiliki Katapiesi? What the hell are you saying? What language is that?"

"I have not said anything," Darius pointed out, "and I come from Cyprus."

"You _come from_ Cyprus?" his increasingly frustrated opponent repeated. He growled when he realized, "You think in Greek, don't you? It's your first language, and that's why the cocky girl over there with the dyed red hair and the Zoey Deschanel attitude thinks you have an advantage over me."

"I am confused. Who is Zoey Deschanel?"

"Never mind!" Sora nearly tore his card as he drew angrily. "I guess I'll just do this the old-fashioned way."

Darius bowed lightly. "Opos eseis epithymeite."

"Shut up with the Greek!" He swore under his breath as he looked over his cards. "I'll summon Heartless – Soldier (3/1400/1000)." The shadowy monster that appeared on his field was a black humanoid wearing a tin helmet shaped like a fish head. The helmet rattled loudly with each bounding step the Soldier took. "Let's see what you're hiding from me."

This was the first time Sora dueled in a really long time without knowing what his opponent set in front of him. He only knew that Darius ran a Gravekeeper deck because he saw Darius lose a duel to Rachel, and every student from Duel Academy was currently trying to predict Darius's moves, too. It almost didn't feel worth keeping up appearances with his Kingdom Hearts theme, but he felt having a secret gave him back his edge in this duel.

The Soldier bounded forward a few steps and then jumped the distance of the field, spinning around to complete a spin-crescent kick on Darius's monster. The kick flipped the opponent, but the Soldier missed; a slender, Middle-Eastern man wearing black clothes that perfectly blended with his surroundings turned, revealing his olive skin and black hair, and planted a small knife in the Soldier's foot.

"Gravekeeper's Spy (4/1200/2000) has more defense," Darius pointed out. A second man appeared on the field with the Spy; this one wore priest's robes and a loincloth and had blond hair, but he was much the same size. "Flipping him summons Gravekeeper's Descendant (4/1500/1200)."

With a grumble, Sora said, "Fine. I'll activate Heartless Haven and set one card." The whole field turned black, and darkness bubbled from the ground as if it were boiling. Now the Heartless monsters were immune to destruction by battle.

Darius 8000: Sora 8000 – 600 = 7400.

Without trying any special tricks or mind games, Darius was able to keep his cards and strategies safe from his telepathic opponent. He was also grateful that he didn't speak Spanish or German or some other language Sora might be likely to translate effectively.

Looking from the field to his hand, Darius had many options available, but the choice seemed obvious; he didn't need to know card effects to know any support cards for the Heartless must be dangerous. He summoned a third man; this one wore a similar cloak, but he was bald and more muscular than either other man: Gravekeeper's Recruit (3/1200/1500). By sending Gravekeeper's Recruit to the Graveyard, his Gravekeeper's Descendant held his staff forward and channeled a spell that absorbed and removed the darkness from the field; Heartless Haven was destroyed, and Recruit's effect allowed Darius to draw another Gravekeeper from her deck.

Descendant thrust his staff into Heartless – Soldier's belly, dissolving the darkness that created it. That left the field wide open for Spy to attack directly by almost teleporting through the shadows behind Sora and slipping a knife into his back.

Darius 8000: Sora 7400 – 100 – 1200 = 6100.

This was already the most annoying duel Sora fought in a long time. His confidence was shaken just slightly; a nagging voice wondered if he even remembered _how_ to duel without knowing his opponent's cards.

He definitely remembered that bigger monsters win battles. "I'll activate Magician's Light." A blue wizard hat with white stars and crescent moons on it appeared on the field. Seven stars flew from Sora's deck to the hat as he discarded two monsters from his deck. "That Ritual Summons Donald, the Royal Magician (7/2300/1800)." A cartoon duck jumped up under the wizard hat, landing with the hat on his head and a wand in his hand.

"Before I attack, I'll remove Heartless Haven from play to return Gravekeeper's Descendant to your hand." Donald swung his wand forward and a massive gust of wind blew Darius's monster away from the field. "Now I'll attack Gravekeeper's Spy (1200)." Donald cast another spell, this time causing a bolt of lightning to fall from the sky.

"I will chain Book of Moon." A green book bearing a moon-shaped insignia appeared on the field and closed on Gravekeeper's Spy, returning him to facedown defense mode. When the bolt of lightning hit, the Spy absorbed the damage entirely. When he disappeared, a second Gravekeeper's Recruit (1200) stood in his place.

Sora grumbled, knowing he could have gotten rid of that card if he knew it was a Spell and not a Trap. "That ends my turn."

Darius was pleased to be doing so well, but he refused to let his guard down. "I will send Gravekeeper's Recruit to the Graveyard to sacrifice summon Gravekeeper's Chief (5/1900/1200)." This Gravekeeper wore a white robe and a silver headband, and the ornate, golden staff he carried symbolized his leadership over the Gravekeepers. "Sending the Recruit to the Graveyard allows me to move Commandant to my hand, and summoning the Chief allows me to revive the Recruit (1200)."

Sora watched in pain as Darius quickly filled his field a second time. He couldn't be losing the edge already.

"I will now discard Commandant to bring Necrovalley to my hand and then activate it." He discarded his monster, and a man wearing the mask of a jackal brought high mountains and a setting sun to the field. "Gravekeepers gain 500 points now."

Darius didn't like the look of this. Despite having stronger monsters in his deck than any of the Gravekeepers could be, he was stuck without much defense against a constantly growing army.

"I'll activate Kingdom Hearts!" An enormous, white door appeared on the field and opened; a bright light poured out and coated Donald in protective warmth. "For this turn, my Light monsters can't be destroyed."

Gravekeeper's Chief (+2400) attacked anyway. He struck Donald with his staff, though Donald was able to deflect most of the damage with his own staff. "I will end my turn now."

Darius 8000: Sora 6100 – 100 = 6000.

It was unfamiliar territory for Sora; the Greek guy was very slow in doing so, but he was staying ahead of psychic powers every step of the duel so far. It hardly seemed possible. He tried reading Darius's mind again, but all he heard was "Vasiliki Katapiesi." He clenched a fist so tightly he started to feel his arm go numb.

"I'll remove Magician's Light from play to draw a card," he grumbled at the start of his turn. He took a deep breath in an effort to calm himself, but the effort didn't work as well as he hoped. He tried again, still to little avail.

"Today?" Elaine called from the peanut gallery.

"Shut up!" Frustrated, Sora decided to go with his first instinct. "I'll play Guardian's Mobilization." This time, a shield lay on the ground, and eight stars collected beneath it as Sora discarded one card from his deck. "It lets me summon Goofy, Captain of the Royal Knights (7/2000/2500)." A severely anthropomorphic dog wearing a green jacket and yellow pants appeared on the field, holding the shield in front of him and standing a few steps ahead of Donald.

"Vasiliki Katapiesi," Darius spoke; the very words had a noticeable effect on Sora's countenance. "Forgive me—Royal Oppression." A pair of men dressed as armored soldiers stood tall in front of Sora and held him at bay with spears. "For 800 points, I may negate your Special Summon and destroy your monster."

Sora snarled as he faked setting a card—going through the motions but without releasing a card into his Duel Disk. "I'll end my turn now."

Darius 8000 – 800 = 7200: Sora 6000.

Darius considered the options before him and decided to act aggressively; after all, Sora lacked any defense. "I will summon Gravekeeper's Visionary (8/+3700/1800)." The Recruit faded from the field as Tribute for a tall man wearing priestly robes, black and gold armor, and an iron headdress in the shape of a jackal. His body shone with black energy as he absorbed power from every Gravekeeper in the Graveyard. "I will attack."

"I'll activate Reflectga," Sora countered. His voice was high and almost hysterical. A protective barrier stood in front of Donald and redirected all of Visionary's mystical energy back at Darius's field. "Your attack is negated and your monsters lose half of their attack points."

_That is unfortunate,_ Darius thought to himself. "I will put Chief (1200) into defense mode and end my turn."

Now Sora was taken by pure ecstasy and hysteria. "That's it, isn't it? All I have to do is hide my cards from you." He continued giggling as he revealed he also had a facedown monster; it was a hefty shadow creature that seemed to be wearing burgundy overalls and bearing the Heartless emblem on its chest. "Heartless – Large Body (4/1700/2000) can destroy your Royal Oppression when flipped."

Darius was baffled as the enormous monster appeared and his royal guards shattered. He hadn't paid attention thus far in the duel, and so Sora could have any number of cards that he hid with his ability to manipulate Darius's senses. In other words, Sora couldn't read Darius's strategy because he couldn't understand Greek, but Darius couldn't predict Sora's strategy because his cards were effectively invisible.

"You have no idea what cards I have on the field, do you?" Sora laughed. "I can literally rewrite the rules as we progress through this duel!"

He was right. Every card on the field, in his hand, or in Darius's deck could easily disappear or become something else entirely thanks to Sora's overpowering psychic ability. In a single moment, the course of the duel changed.

"Here we go." Sora spoke with renewed excitement and with a wicked grin plastered across his face. "I'll play MP Rage. I just discard my hand and draw new cards." At first, Darius saw his hand filled with twelve cards, but after blinking he saw only one card. "You have no idea how many, do you?"

"I do not."

"Good. First Donald will remove Kingdom Hearts from play so I can draw another card. Now, I'll activate Keyblader's Call." A slender, key-shaped sword stuck out of the ground as eight stars collected around the handle. "Now I get to summon Sora, the Keyblade Master (8/2700/2500)." The warrior who drew the sword from the ground was a boy wearing black clothes, with distinct sections of red and yellow, and shoes big enough to cover clown feet. His hair was spiky and his grin was friendly yet confident, with piercing blue eyes that portrayed the experience he gained at such a young age.

"I'll also play Second Wind to summon Goofy (2500) back from the Graveyard for only 800 Life Points." The anthropomorphic dog with the golden shield appeared on the field again in front of his allies, ready to intercept any attack. "Additionally, if I discard a Spell from my hand, Sora inflicts 500 points of damage to you." The swordsman held his sword as a rifle and blasted a small fireball directly at Darius. "And by removing that Spell from play, Donald draws another card for me.

"And now? I'll end my turn."

Darius 7200 – 500 = 6700: Sora 6000 – 800 = 5200.

Darius wasn't the only one taken aback by Sora's abrupt turn ending. His monsters all overpowered the Gravekeeper's Chief (-1450) and Visionary (-2100) since that Trap reduced their strength. Why leave them alone?

"Oh, this just can't wait," Sora yelled excitedly. "I'll activate Trinity Limit!" All three of his Disney-themed monsters jumped; upon landing, Darius's entire field exploded. "That was just too much fun! First you lose Life Points equal to your monsters' original attack points, and then your monsters are destroyed!"

The burst of energy cleared and Darius's field was empty save for a single facedown card. He peered through the smoke and actually felt the need to cough. This game felt more real than any he'd played in a long time. Was this feeling because Sora made him _think_ it was real? What were the limits of his power during this duel?

Darius 6700 – 1900 – 2000 = 2800: Sora 5200.

"If I am to assume correctly, you will likely have a way of defeating me during the next turn."

"You're absolutely right," Sora bluffed. "This is your last turn and you haven't got a snowball's chance in hell of beating me. See how difficult it is when you can't see through my strategy?"

Darius stared back confidently for a moment, seemingly undisturbed by everything around him. When he finally spoke, he said simply, "Three."

"What?"

He held three fingers up. "MP Rage drew three cards."

Sora's face betrayed his surprise; he let the emotion show briefly, but it was enough for Darius to know he was correct.

"Then let us see if I cannot stop you here and now. Gravekeeper's Assailant (4/+2000/+2000) will assist me." A man completely cloaked in black appeared on the field; only his white eyes were visible. "I will attack Goofy (2500)."

"Goofy?" Sora repeated.

"Yes. Because Necrovalley is on the field, Assailant will switch Goofy into attack position." When the cloaked man dashed across the field, he took an extra step and disappeared from view, appearing between Goofy and his allies. The Disney dog turned around, failing to defend himself with the shield as the Assailant revealed a long, curved-bladed krys. As the blade pierced Goofy (2000), he managed a counterattack that flung the Assailant completely off the field.

"Nice try, but that's just a wash. Except that I have two monsters left."

"I will activate Rite of Passage." Three Gravekeepers appeared on the field and held their arms together, summoning a growing cloud of dust and bringing Gravekeeper's Visionary (+4100)—the man with the jackal-headed headdress—back from the Graveyard. "Now my Visionary may attack and eliminate the hologram Sora (2700)." Wielding his staff like a mystical, Egyptian warrior, the Visionary completed a short battle with the Keyblade bearer and managed to plunge his staff into Sora's heart.

The human Sora growled. "You will pay for that."

"Perhaps, but not during this duel," Darius countered. "I will now activate Magical Dimension." A sarcophagus appeared and entombed the Visionary; it opened again but a moment later to reveal a second Visionary, and the energy released from opening the sarcophagus overwhelmed Donald and eliminated him from the field. "I sacrifice one spellcaster to summon another and destroy one of your monsters. Now my favorite card will repay you for what you did to Mitsuro." Gravekeeper's Visionary (+4300) bore down confidently on Sora and dispatched him heavily with a mortal strike.

Darius 2800: Sora 5200 – 1400 – 4300 = 0.

A moment passed in silence. All were unsure what was supposed to happen now.

Quite suddenly, Sora collapsed without warning or any dramatic display of Shadows. He simply passed out and hit the floor as the hologram projectors deactivated.

Salman showed zero remorse for the event. "Death has lost," he concluded. "The seal is broken. Now return to your rooms. The next duel will take place tomorrow morning. Decide now who will participate next." With that, he also left the room to return to his office.

Bryan eyed Sora for a moment. "Death, huh? There's no way you and I are on the same level."

Hillary watched Salman's other Horsemen walk away and abandon Sora. "They're just going to leave him there? How callous."

"We'll take him back to his room," Numbers said. "Unless there's an infirmary or something. I don't remember seeing one, but we should go look."

"See if you can lean him on my wheelchair," Hillary suggested. "That will make it easier to carry him."

Bryan stepped up and said only, "Don't bother." Placing one hand beneath Sora's neck and one beneath his knees, Bryan lifted him straight off the ground with hardly even a grunt.

"We'll just lead the way, then," Hillary offered and took off with Numbers.

Lucy looked at Mitsuro and offered a shoulder to lean on. She refused, saying, "I'm fine."

"You were unconscious," Darius reminded her. "Surviving an assault by the Shadows warrants a brief rest period." He extended his hand. "We are only offering assistance."

Mitsuro hated asking for help, but she was aware that her legs felt like jelly. "Fine. Whatever makes you happy."

Lucy walked Mitsuro and Darius down the hall toward the dorm room. As she rounded the curving hallway, she suddenly felt a little lost. It took her a moment to remember her way around on the second floor; the increase in the number of doors from the first floor distracted her, but she was fortunate the doors were still numbered.

As she opened the door to the dorm room she and Mitsuro shared, she was baffled by what she saw.

The room was only half the size it was that morning, and only Lucy's stuff was visible around the furniture. "What in the world?"

"Where's my stuff?" Mitsuro asked. "This morning it was right where that wall is now."

On a hunch, Lucy tried opening the next door down; her key worked in that one, too. When she opened the second door, she saw a room that looked like the missing half of her room with all of Mitsuro's missing stuff.

"What the hell? How did we suddenly end up with two rooms?"

Mitsuro leaned on the door frame while Darius left her to open his door across the hall. "My belongings have also been separated from Bryan's. It seems we are being split up."

"Why?" Lucy wondered aloud. "What is Salman up to?"

Just then, her phone beeped at her. She checked it and found a text message from Matt; it read, _"I just met the Ghost Duelist."_

She sighed and sent back, _"Yeah? I've met someone worse."_

* * *

_I can hardly believe this chapter-no section breaks. I didn't know I had it in me._

_This duel was long and difficult to write. I hope it came out alright. I really liked the idea of having Darius as the one guy to render Sora's ability moot; it gave a greater purpose to Darius and seemed like an unexpected trump card to play. The next duel will definitely be even more difficult to write.  
_

_Keeping in mind that anyone who duels cannot climb to the next tier, the next chapter will pit the selected duelist against Aura Windwalker in a battle that will reveal her full ability. Meanwhile, stuck with access only to the second and first floors, Mitsuro and Darius seek information about Salman's plans.  
_

_Credits:_  
_Darius Mantzios...tiramisu19_  
_Jason Maxim...Maxim and Knight_  
_Nathan Zislaw...Mavrik Zero_  
_Hillary Delaney...Nodqfan144_  
_Lili Von...Happy2BMe_  
_Carter Jade...Jaden2010  
Mitsuro Itachu & Sora Mikano...Titanic X  
Sean Bivins...DarkVestroia2_  
_Ivy Roaks...Mental Panda_  
_Hayley Wilson...TeamRocketDiva_  
_Maikeru Stone...onyxshade7  
Victor Rocks & Abel Shinzou...Iron-Arm-V_  
_Alister Kazama & Jessica Parks...ZaneKazama001_  
_Synthia Spencer...Madly Chessur_  
_Leila & Linear Lockhart & Azure Windwalker...Windraider__  
Logan Wilson...MercWithTheMouth13_  
_Allen Tebaro...Nouva17  
Tai Ishihara...ZAFT Prime  
Cain Valin...FE96jAFFAR_  
_Kusuma Megumi & Ringo Takagame...VStriker_  
_Rachel Avila...Amourenvie_  
_Starza's Magic: The Gathering deck...drake202_  
_Everyone else so far...YamiRuss_


	19. One Becomes Six

Chapter 19: One Becomes Six

Lucy wasn't surprised to see Mitsuro's room disappeared overnight. Actually, her entire door gave way to what looked like the wall of an elevator shaft. She deduced that the rooms were in the center of the tower specifically for the purpose of treating them all as elevators. That's how everyone made it to Tier 3.

Well, almost everyone.

"So… Aura," Hillary commented s she looked over the newly green walls. "Which of us is going to duel her?"

Lucy remembered Aura just as the weird little girl with the big hair and the lazy attitude. During her duel with Kusuma, she barely played a significant move. And she ended up forfeiting in the end.

"She won't take much to go down," Numbers declared. "Any of us can do it."

"I'll give it a try," Hillary offered.

With a nod, Numbers said, "Go for it."

"Are you sure?" Lucy interrupted. "We still don't know what kind of ability she has. She must have _something_ for Salman to recruit her."

"Who cares? If you can build a quick lockdown, it doesn't matter what her ability is—she'll cave. She did it before."

Bryan stepped in and said, "You're both right. Aura still hides something from us, but there is no use worrying about it. One of us will need to defeat her either way, so let us simply choose and stick to our convictions."

"Fair enough," Numbers agreed. "Hillary, you're up."

Hillary was clearly nervous at first, but when she smiled, she masked it really well. "I'm ready."

* * *

Mitsuro was up with the sun. She felt fine this morning. None of the overwhelming fatigue remained from yesterday's foray with the Shadows. She grabbed some fresh clothes, darted down the hall for a quick shower, and then looked for her classmates. Oddly, after her shared room with Lucy was cut in half, Lucy's half was gone. Only a steel tube remained where hours earlier there was a dorm room door.

"I think the rooms are elevators," Darius suggested, revealing himself. "We have not earned the right to rise."

She remembered Salman's strange rules. Neither the winner nor the loser of a duel could progress past the floor of a duel.

"So what are we supposed to do for the next three days? Just hang around here and explore Santa Barbara?"

"I believe we still have a project to complete."

Dryly, she replied, "Yeah, _that's_ at the top of my to-do list." She tapped his arm and motioned down the hall. "Let's go check out the lecture hall just for good measure. I find it hard to believe we're just abandoned here."

The lecture hall wasn't as empty as expected; a young man stood at the front of the room. He was an inch shorter than Mitsuro, had a solid tan, and wore his beard with the 'three days unshaved' look. He prepared lecture materials, including a Youtube video titled "Interview with James Frazer" and a manila folder with some note pages stapled together.

"You're here early," the man said. He sounded like a random beach bum too dumb to realize he wasn't really a substitute teacher. "I guess we get started then."

Darius gave him a baffled look. "Who are you?"

Mitsuro cut the man off before he even started. "We don't care. Let's go find Sora." She nearly pulled Darius with her back out of the room, leaving the door wide open.

"Wait! You're supposed to learn this!"

"We get Youtube in our rooms!" Mitsuro hollered back. Under her breath, she muttered, "Geez. Like we're supposed to go about our business while our friends are dealing with…" She paused. "I don't know _what_ they're dealing with."

Darius reassured her, "Maybe Sora can answer that question."

* * *

The lab room was set up identically to yesterday save for the change in color scheme. There wasn't much architectural creativity from floor to floor. Salman stood off to the side of the room with Elaine and Rachel behind him while Aura waited on the duel field. Kusuma stood next to the entrance door dropping salt onto the shelf that circled the wall while Rinny just looked around the room as if to look for hidden treasure.

"Here goes nothing," Numbers muttered to Hillary. Hillary was unflappable, though; she didn't back down a bit. She rolled straight to the stage, but Salman interrupted her before she activated her Duel Disk.

"There's been a slight change to the lineup." He pointed to the back door—the one that led back into the lecture wing instead of toward the dormitories. "It's come to my attention that Aura has a brother who would like to join us."

When the door opened, Lucy couldn't help but stare. The short, blue-haired boy who entered the room looked exactly identical to Aura in every way except the hair style; hers was pulled into a frizzy ponytail while his was simply wild.

"That is too weird," Numbers uttered.

Bryan hummed. "It's about to get weirder."

Hillary raised her hand. "I'm confused. Does that we have to beat both of them?"

"Aura and her brother Azure are going to duel simultaneously. You may give them as many or as few opponents as you think are necessary."

Lucy scoffed. To her friends, she muttered, "Well, _obviously_ we'll need two people to beat them. We just need to figure out who."

Rinny glanced at Kusuma, who nodded approvingly. "Let us handle this duel."

"Really?" Hillary asked. "I volunteered earlier. Aren't you supposed to be, like, our forecasters? Telling us what's going to go wrong and such?"

Numbers added, "Besides, it doesn't feel like you need to get yourselves involved in all this craziness. This kind of crap is right up the alley for Duel Academy students."

Kusuma shrugged. "We aren't going to be much help to you in the precognition front. First of all, my ability to tell the future is severely limited; I'm more of a fortune teller. Plus, the salts are affected by their Shadow magic."

"I'm the one who sees specific events," Rinny chimed in. With a sullen look, she added, "But the Shadows can obscure pretty much anything. They continually shift probabilities and make me see about a thousand different futures."

Lucy looked at Numbers and shrugged. "I say we let them do it. They know each other well enough to be a tag team, and they might leave more of us available for the last two Horsemen."

Numbers acknowledged the possibility, but, "They might also cause us to lose two more duelists if we have to try again."

Lucy made a face. "I have faith in them."

Kusuma handed Numbers a packet of salt. "Open this and pour it onto the table. I'll show you what I can do." Skeptically, she took the packet and ripped off the top. As she turned it over, Kusuma watched the way the salt reflected the light. With a smile, he said, "I see a pretty comfortable life for you. Success will come easily and comfortably for you. And you don't fall in love with a duelist; you've got more sophisticated interests than to be with someone who competes with you for a living. But there is an issue with time that gets in the way of all that." He held his hand closer to the salts. "I'm not sure if it's illness or the Shadows, but there's something whimsical in the future that prevents you from moving forward."

Numbers scratched her head. "That was about as vague as an official horoscope. Whatever. You take the lead in this duel. Just make sure _you're_ not the one holding me back."

"Nice zinger," Kusuma complimented her. He looked to Rinny. "We'll do what we can."

Rinny skipped onto the field and activated her Duel Disk alongside Kusuma. "We're going to be your opponents now."

Salman smiled and crossed his arms across his chest. "There's one more thing I forgot to mention."

The back door opened again and four more people entered, all of whom looked identical to Aura and Azure. They each wore separate Duel Disks and presented themselves behind Aura and Azure like backup ranks.

"What. The. Hell?" Numbers asked emphatically. "There are six of them? How is that even possible? I mean, probability alone…"

Hillary began to move forward. "I'd better help."

Kusuma, still facing the Windwalker sextuplets, held his hand out to stop Hillary. Rinny grinned at her. "Don't waste the manpower. We'll take care of this. Even against six of them."

"Very well," Salman said. "Let the game begin."

* * *

The Windwalkers all arranged themselves on the field like a battalion in two lines of three. Aura and her two identical sisters lined up as they would if they were a single duelist while Azure and his brothers lined up together. They never spoke and Salman didn't offer names, and so Rinny playfully named them Aura, Aura II, and Aura III.

Aura took the first turn. Kusuma stood back and remembered his previous duel confidently.

Arcane Apprentice (2/1000/400) wore blue magician's robes and a pointy hat, which rendered his face merely a shadow. She also placed Instant Fusion; a large cup of noodles appeared on the field, but with the word FUSION written in fancy letters. When the top peeled open, out popped a bare-chested man with wild blond hair and an electric guitar in his hands. Aura paid 1000 Life Points to summon Musician King (5/1750/1500).

Finally, she tuned them together. The black mage spouted fire from his fingertips and Musician King strummed loudly on his guitar. When the flames and the sound waves resonated perfectly, the two monsters merged into a taller magician wearing white robes and emitting a green aura—the Arcanite Magician (7/+2400/1800).

"Wow," Kusuma uttered. He immediately recognized the difference in play level Aura showed. In none of her previous duels did she show much effort; the other students all labeled her as "lazy" or "cocky" for her unwillingness to try combined with that smug look on her face that claimed superiority to her classmates.

Clearly, she'd been holding back.

Kusuma and Rinny 8000: Aura and Azure 8000 – 1000 = 7000.

"I'll start with Naturia Antjaw (2/400/200)," Kusuma said. His monster was an ant so small it clung to a sunflower seed like a body board. (The holograms projected a magnified field around the monster to render it visible to the players and the spectators.) "I'll set one additional card and end my turn."

Azure was just as silent as his sister. The first card he played turned the field into a sunlit grove deep in a wooded region; a handful of huts blended in perfectly with the trees: the Secret Village of the Spellcasters. He followed with Summoner Monk (4/800/1600), a pale magician with heavy, purple robes and long, silver hair. By discarding from his hand, Summon Monk lifted his arms, and the energy from his hands created a vortex on the floor; very quickly, the energy materialized a demonic magician with purple skin, black leather, and slight horns on his head.

"When you Special Summon," Kusuma noted, "Antjaw summons a low-level Naturia monster. I pick Naturia Butterfly (3/500/1200)." Not much bigger than the head of a daisy, the Butterfly also received the magnification treatment from the holograms.

The Flamvell Magician (4/1400/200) began to cycle fire energy from the air into his palm, and then he and the Summoner Monk both turned into flames. The flames parted and revealed the shining, white body of the Stardust Dragon (8/2500/2000).

"O-kay," Kusuma uttered in confusion. Usually opponents who know about Antjaw's effect avoid Special Summoning. "I guess Antjaw doesn't bother you. Well, I'll summon Naturia Fruitfly (3/800/1500) this time." Another creature, almost imperceptible to the naked eye, buzzed onto the field. The Fruitfly summoned an army of allies to swarm the opponent's field and weaken both Arcanite Magician (-1500) and Stardust Dragon (-1600).

Azure set one card and ended his turn.

"It's my turn now," Rinny said with more energy and anticipation in her voice than all three other duelists combined. "I'll set a monster in defense mode and one card on the field."

Aura was slow to decide her strategy, but after some deliberation, she decided to activate her facedown Pitch-Black Power Stone, a black stone that shimmered as three Spell Counters rotated and bounced around within the stone confines. One of the Spell Counters shot from the stone and struck Arcanite Magician (+2500), raising its power.

Suspecting a Trap, Aura activated Arcanite Magician's effect; the Magician cast a spell using a Spell Counter from the Power Stone as a catalyst, obliterating Kusuma's facedown Scrap-Iron Scarecrow. And then the Magician cast an energy ball at Kusuma's Fruitfly (800).

But the energy was displaced by a cloud of dust and spores, whipped up by the furious flapping of Naturia Butterfly's wings. "By sending the top card of my deck to the Graveyard, I can negate your attack."

Disappointed in the failed attack, Aura ended her turn.

"That was close," Kusuma admitted. His Butterfly (3) began flapping its wings again, spreading spores, and tuning with Antjaw (2). "By tuning my monsters together, I can summon Naturia Beast (5/2200/1700)." Like a tree that grew into a lion, Naturia Beast settled onto the field with regal posture. "Summoning a Synchro monster let's me Special Summon Naturia Ladybug (1/100/100) from the Graveyard." Like its namesake, this monster was tiny and had colorful wings that covered its back like a shell. "I'll tap my field with Naturia Tulip (2/600/1500)." A red, anthropomorphic tulip with great, blue eyes and wearing fronds as a collar appeared on the field and blushed, considering herself the center of attention.

"Now it's my turn to attack, and I'll start with Arcanite Magician (-1200)."

Azure responded immediately by activating Assault Mode Activate. Sooner than Naturia Beast (2200) could pounce, the Arcanite Magician was shrouded in a flash of light. The white robes hardened and slimmed, turning into blue armor. Arcanite Magician/Assault Mode (9/+1700/2300) looked battle-ready if not for the swarm of Fruitflies reducing its points.

"Naturia Beast (2200) will just attack…" He stopped himself and considered the situation. Even though he'd been having trouble reading the salts lately, he did recognize earlier the image of a powerful magician being destroyed and instantly revived. That reminded him of an important, particularly powerful, aspect of the Assault Mode monsters. Originally here and now his plan was to remove the opponent's spellcaster and leave her unable to use Spell Cards, thanks to Secret Village of the Spellcasters. But destroying an Assault Mode monster meant summoning the original back to the field. In essence, nothing would have changed.

He thanked the salts for bringing caution to his game and decided on a different strategy. "Naturia Beast will attack Stardust Dragon (-1300)." The lion-like plant pounced on the shimmering dragon and sank its teeth deep into the dragon's neck. "That's probably better, anyway. I'll set one card and end my turn."

Kusuma and Rinny 8000: Aura and Azure 7000 – 900 = 6100.

When Azure's turn came around, he did something quite unusual for a duel. Even before drawing, he stepped back behind both of his brothers and moved the line forward by one participant. That meant his brother Azure II assumed the role of dueling against Kusuma and Rinny. He proceeded to complete his Draw Phase without any glitch in the Duel Disk system.

"Odd," Kusuma said. _In order for them to switch places freely, their Duel Disks would need to have the same electronic ID code. Otherwise the system would require special rules for switching places._

"Why are you trading places?" Rinny asked. "Can't handle us without backup?"

But Kusuma knew why they traded. "Look at his hand." Now Azure II held six cards in his hand, and the cards were undoubtedly different from the cards his brother held. Through some elaborate conspiracy of electronics, the Windwalkers worked it out so they could duel freely with any of the cards held by the six of them.

"That's cheating!" Rinny complained.

For the first time, Azure II spoke: "That's the outlet for overwhelming power."

Suddenly Rinny's expression of anticipation was replaced with a look of surprise. She stood silently for a moment while Azure II made his move. He discarded a card to summon The Tricky (5/2000/1200), a jester with a question mark painted over his chest and face. He followed by summoning Psychic Commander (3/1400/800), an alien-like driver of a hovering tank. The two monsters immediately began tuning into a mighty red-and-black dragon: Red Dragon Archfiend (8/3000/2000).

"Kusu," she uttered. "I've only ever been able to see the future, right?"

"Yeah."

"Is there any reason I might have visions of the past?"

Now Kusuma was surprised, too. "The past?"

"Yes. Is it possible I've just never figured out how before?"

"It's possible."

"Or maybe my powers are evolving?"

"Sure. Or maybe you're just remembering something."

That thought gave her pause. "Remembering? But why would I remember her?" She pointed directly at Aura as she spoke.

Kusuma nodded slowly, confused and surprised himself. "That's a very good question."

* * *

Sora lay unconscious in his bed, his face strikingly pale save for the darkened skin between his eyes and across the bridge of his nose. His body shivered as he breathed deeply, causing his teeth to chatter. He seemed so weak and helpless.

"Look at him," Mitsuro said feeling intense pity for him. "It's the first time I've seen him without a dirty smirk or a sharp tongue."

"I recognize these symptoms," Darius said. He remembered past experiences involving friends at Duel Academy, including being sequestered to the recreation center while the professors sought the source of the Shadows on campus. "Two springs past, everyone looked like this. The Shadow Realm reportedly stole their souls."

"More like _occupied_," Mitsuro corrected him. She sighed and squeezed her fingers in her hair as she remembered her own defeat by the Shadows for the second time. She put her fingers on Sora's chest and felt his deep, comatose breathing. "His soul is still in there, but the Shadows control it."

Darius watched her for a moment. "Does it hurt?"

Keeping her hand on Sora, she tapped her chest with her other hand. "In here."

Suddenly a golden light burst from her forearm.

"What is that?" The light caused Darius to recoil and shield his eyes.

"My deck?" She grabbed the glowing card from the top of her deck and braved the blinding light to see it. Divine Liberation Strike continued to shine, yet the light almost seemed liquid in the air; it dripped from her card onto Sora's unconscious body and centered on his eyes. The air around his body turned noticeably black as the light spread and consumed the darkness.

"What's happening?"

"My card… The one with the power to fight the Shadow Lord…"

"Is it healing him?"

Mitsuro winced, uncertain of the correct answer. "If it is, that means all these psychics really did get their power from the Shadow Realm. And Salman must be harbinger for the true darkness."

* * *

Rinny's memories were much more akin to snapshots than to videos. She saw Aura flat on a table, screaming in agony. She saw a growing cloud of energy eating through the walls. She personally felt much of the same agony. And that man with the silver hair…

Slowly, the snapshots arranged themselves into a sensible sequence, and then the words came with them:

_Sirens blared and alarms flashed throughout the narrow halls of the laboratory. Researchers and technicians scrambled to address the issue. The man financing the project was present to witness this catastrophe._

"_Sir, the energy is overloading. We can't contain it!"_

_The silver-haired man looked terribly worried, confused, and frustrated all at the same time. "But that doesn't make any sense. The side effects of the other attempts were only minimal. How can this be happening?"_

"_It must be this puzzle you're working on. It's the only difference!"_

"_No!" the silver-haired man shouted as he slammed his fist on the wall. "We must figure out a way to contain the power. The Puzzle is everything."_

_Very suddenly, the alarms ceased and systems checks returned normal containment levels. The researchers searched the readouts to determine a cause—some shift that suddenly contained all that power._

"_Sir! The boy just… multiplied!"_

_The silver-haired man looked through the glass into the observation room. While one boy remained strapped to the table, four more lay on the floor nearby. They were nearly identical, clearly connected yet entirely separate… like the pieces of a puzzle._

"_Great Caesar's Ghost."_

When the memories finally made a clear image for Rinny, she looked to Aura, Azure, and all the duplicates. Aura was definitely the kid who lay on that table. Or maybe Azure was.

"Who are you really?" she asked the Windwalkers.

Azure narrowed his eyes. "You don't remember, either?" The look on Rinny's face clearly told she did not. "Neither do I. I only remember one thing:

"Pegasus did this to me."

* * *

_Tag Team duels are so difficult to write. I recommend any of you writing your own stories try to avoid them as much as possible. I really hoped to finish the duel during this chapter, but that could have meant another week before posting. Plus, I kind of like including these extra sequences to add suspense. The characters told me it was time to start revealing their histories, and we don't really know much about Kusuma and Aura just yet, do we? What better time to learn?_

_Credits:_  
_Darius Mantzios...tiramisu19_  
_Jason Maxim...Maxim and Knight_  
_Nathan Zislaw...Mavrik Zero_  
_Hillary Delaney...Nodqfan144_  
_Lili Von...Happy2BMe_  
_Carter Jade...Jaden2010  
Mitsuro Itachu & Sora Mikano...Titanic X  
Sean Bivins...DarkVestroia2_  
_Ivy Roaks...Mental Panda_  
_Hayley Wilson...TeamRocketDiva_  
_Maikeru Stone...onyxshade7  
Victor Rocks & Abel Shinzou...Iron-Arm-V_  
_Alister Kazama & Jessica Parks...ZaneKazama001_  
_Synthia Spencer...Madly Chessur_  
_Leila & Linear Lockhart & Azure Windwalker...Windraider__  
Logan Wilson...MercWithTheMouth13_  
_Allen Tebaro...Nouva17  
Tai Ishihara...ZAFT Prime  
Cain Valin...FE96jAFFAR_  
_Kusuma Megumi & Ringo Takagame...VStriker_  
_Rachel Avila...Amourenvie_  
_Starza's Magic: The Gathering deck...drake202_  
_Everyone else so far...YamiRuss_


	20. A Battle of Shadows

Chapter 20: A Battle of Shadows

Azure Windwalker, one of the six identical duelists competing against Kusuma and Rinny, claimed that Maximilian Pegasus, the creator of the Duel Monsters card game, turned him into one of Salman's minions.

"Pegasus?" Kusuma repeated. "How do you know?"

"That's all I remember," Azure answered. "I'm surprised you know nothing."

"Why would _I_ know something about it?"

"Because you were there, too."

"I was?"

"Your friend remembers."

Kusuma looked to Rinny for confirmation, but she couldn't be certain about the memories she just experienced. Did they indeed belong to her, or did she catch a vision of something else entirely?

"Allow me to prove it," Azure offered.

Immediately, a heavy mist poured off of each Windwalker's body, cloaking the surroundings in shadows. They became so thick even Salman and Lucy could no longer be seen from the dueling field. As the shadows spilled, Azure's ambient power felt stronger and more lethal. The impending shadows crawled across the stage toward Kusuma and Rinny, but before they could consume the wary opponents, Kusuma and Rinny both winced as equal parts Shadows poured off of their bodies and countered the mist.

"You are protected from the power of the Shadow Realm because you already possess the same power," Azure pointed out. "We were all part of the same dark program, and it happened because of Pegasus."

Kusuma had not realized he possessed any power of the Shadow Realm. Instantly, his mind began racing for answers. Why did he receive this power? Was Pegasus the one who caused it? Is the Shadow Realm the source of his alomancy and Rinny's foresight?

"We will now make this into a real Shadow Game," Azure announced. With his Shadows covering the field like a bog, his body began to disappear. "Now our Life Points are directly attached to our bodies. As we lose one, the Shadows will consume the other."

The Shadows began to empower the Red Archfiend Dragon (3000) on Azure's field. Despite his mix of frustration and confusion as the Dragon loomed overhead, Kusuma responded before an attack could be declared—it was easier to finish the duel and seek answers after.

Three female pixies flew from his facedown card and surrounded Naturia Ladybug (100). "Pixie Ring protects my weaker monsters from being attacked."

But Azure II didn't target the Ladybug; he was after Naturia Fruitfly (800), the monster whose effect weakened every monster the Windwalkers used. The mighty dragon's claws burst into flame, and then those claws reached out and incinerated Naturia Fruitfly. And Ladybug soon disappeared in the inferno. When Red Dragon Archfiend attacked a defense mode monster, the other defensive monsters were destroyed with it.

"Don't worry, Kusu," Rinny said. "We're still in this duel."

Azure II ended with a card facedown.

Kusuma and Rinny 8000: Aura and Azure 6100.

Rinny drew and immediately decided she was tired of playing almost no part in this duel. "I'll play One for One and discard to summon Fortune Lady Light (1/+200/+200)." Like a phoenix rising, a petite woman dressed in white and carrying a large scythe with a sun icon on the end emerged from the collapsed body of an identical woman. "Next, I'll summon Catoblepas and the Witch of Fate (4/1800/0)." The monster that ambled onto the field was a bulky beast with the body of a buffalo and the head of a hog. A woman dressed in purple witches' clothing rode its back, holding its horns like reins.

"And I'll activate her effect by activating Dimensionhole." A wormhole opened up in the sky and drew in Light, removing her from play. But she left behind residue energy that began to grow. "When Light is removed from the field, she summons another Fortune Lady from my deck: Here's Fortune Lady Fire (2/+400/+400)." This woman wore red almost as deep as her hair, and she carried a scythe capped by a rose icon.

And Fire came to the field with an intense attitude. She immediately ignited her scythe and charged across the field for Arcanite Magician/Assault Mode (+2900).

"When Fire is Special Summoned by a Fortune Lady," Rinny explained, "she destroys a monster on your field and inflicts damage equal to that monster's power." When Fire struck the Arcanite Magician, her flames spread quickly and incinerated the armor. The flames also scorched Aura's Life Points as she stood too close to the fire.

But as the fire burned Aura holographically, it appeared to do likewise physically. Aura's body disappeared entirely from the waist down as the Shadows spread and consumed her body. Rinny reacted when she saw the change, but Aura didn't seem to care; she simply continued with the duel.

Unfortunately, Arcanite Magician (7/+2400/1800) revived as soon as his stronger counterpart was destroyed. The Magician rose again, this time wearing white robes in place of his destroyed armor.

"I know," Rinny said defensively before anyone could point out her mistake, "but she was about to use its effect to destroy all our cards." She scoffed and added, "I know what I'm doing." She pointed to her Witch of Fate, who turned the buffalo's head to face the Arcanite Magician. "When you Special Summon, I can remove a Fortune Lady in the Graveyard from play"—a second Light disappeared—"to have Catoblepas look at your monster. And when that happens…" The buffalo raised its heavy head and opened its eyes. Instantly, the Arcanite Magician turned to stone and crumbled.

Rinny grinned. "That will end my turn."

Kusuma and Rinny 8000: Aura and Azure 6100 – 2900 = 3200.

Aura didn't have the cards she wanted to use for this turn. To give herself a stronger chance, she stepped to the back of the line and allowed Aura II—identical in the appearance of only her head and torso—to step in and take her place. Just like when the Azures traded places, the Duel Disk system didn't even flicker when the new Aura played her first card.

Breaker the Magical Warrior (4/+1900/1000) was a lean warrior adorned in red armor with a short sword and a sword in hand. Powered by a Spell Counter, Aura immediately removed it and blasted the facedown card on Rinny's field.

"Fine. Then I'll use Compulsory Evacuation Device on that Red Archfiend Dragon," she announced. She chained her Trap's activation to its destruction and removed the mighty dragon from the field.

But Aura wasn't even slowed by that. Miracle Synchro Fusion revealed a swirling ray of light from the Graveyard. Arcanite Magician and Arcane Apprentice disappeared from play, but the spot where they disappeared invited a brand new magician—an evolved form of Arcanite Magician wearing heavy, bulky armor colored black and blue. Spell Counters studded his armor, and his staff was taller than any of the Windwalkers. The Supreme Arcanite Magician (10/1400/2800) stood taller than any of his previous incarnations.

Suddenly, Naturia Beast caught everyone's attention. He growled softly as his plant-like limbs dug into the ground and drained the energy from Aura's Spell. "By sending two cards from my deck to the Graveyard," Kusuma explained, "Beast negates your Spells." The Supreme Arcanite Magician faded away before it could finish empowering itself.

Aura clearly was frustrated with her situation, but she wasn't down yet. Instead, she thought to cripple Kusuma's deck. She played Emergency Teleport in an effort to summon a psychic tuner, but two cards gave Naturia Beast the strength to negate the Spell. She tried Magical Dimension, but Beast negated that one, too.

Finally, Breaker took the remaining power from the Pitch-Black Power Stone and used it to destroy Kusuma's Pixie Ring. With no protection on the field, Breaker (-1600) targeted Fortune Lady Fire (400). She attempted to block his attack with her scythe, but Breaker's blade cut straight through the shaft and through her torso.

Aura II ended her turn with a single facedown card, and then she stepped to the back of the line and let Aura III take her place.

Kusuma and Rinny 8000 – 1200 = 6800: Aura and Azure 3200.

"You are really making this difficult for me," Kusuma commented with regards to the Field Spell. Without a spellcaster on his field, Secret Village of the Spellcasters prevented him from playing Spells. Luckily, Naturia monsters brought their own effects.

"I'll summon Naturia Mosquito (1/200/300)." This creature was a bug so small it, too, required the use of holographic magnification to be seen. "As long as this guy is on the field, I'm pretty much protected from all Battle Damage."

Aura III wasn't impressed. She activated the facedown Torrential Tribute, creating a massive deluge that flooded the field and destroyed every monster.

"Not what I planned," Kusuma admitted. "I'll set one card and end my turn."

Azure II looked over Kusuma's field for a moment and debated whether to call his bluff. Leaning slightly more toward aggression than caution, he decided it was unlikely Kusuma had too many useful Traps in a Naturia deck. As such, Azure summoned Junk Synchron (3/1300/500), an orange, robotic repairman that revived Synchro Fusionist from Azure's Graveyard.

The Fusionist resembled a fiendish mural that came to life, but its presence wasn't long-lived; Junk Synchron tuned itself to the Synchro Fusionist and became a beautiful, armored sorceress. While Azure activated Synchro Fusionist's ability to let Aura III move Miracle Synchro Fusion from her Graveyard to her hand, T.G. Wonder Magician (5/1900/0) hovered gently above the floor, suddenly thrusting her metal wings into the ground and exploding Kusuma's facedown card.

With no defense remaining, Azure sent his Magician on a direct assault. Her body released a bright light and caused a shower of focused light beams to pelt Kusuma's field.

Kusuma and Rinny 6800 – 1900 = 4900: Aura and Azure 3200.

When Rinny's turn began, her Fortune Lady Light (+200) returned to the field through the same dimensional wormhole that consumed her the first time.

"Nice to have you back," Rinny told her card. "But now I'll send you as a Tribute to summon Fortune Lady Dark (5/+2000/+2000)." Her white lady disappeared from the field and gave way to a woman wearing black clothes and carrying a scythe capped with a deep, indigo gem. "For each of her levels, she gains 400 points." Beside her, there was a glowing, white, energy residue dwelling in the air. "Remember Light's effect? When she disappears, she summons another Fortune Lady. This time, she'll summon Water (4/+1200/+1200)." This Fortune Lady wore a sullen look on her face and a blue dress on her body, and she carried a scythe capped by a blue star. "When she's summoned, I get to draw two more cards.

"And now, Dark will attack your Wonder Magician (1900)."

Azure II immediately activated his facedown card—Magician's Circle. Four rings of magical energy appeared on the field, offering each player the opportunity to summon a spellcaster. Azure summoned Crystal Seer (1/100/100), a fortune teller wearing red robes with a blue cloak. Aura summoned Night's End Sorcerer (2/1300/400), a sullen, pale boy bearing a massive scythe; he immediately struck Rinny's Graveyard and removed both copies of Light from play. Rinny settled on Solitaire Magician (4/1600/1300), a small girl with wearing blue and wielding a small scythe capped by a blue stone.

Kusuma lacked any spellcasters to summon.

"Well, I still get to attack," Rinny pointed out. She pointed across the field. "Dark (2000) will attack Wonder Magician (1900) again."

But something happened she didn't expect; Wonder Magician (5) and Crystal Seer (1) began to shine together. Wonder Magician's metallic wings spread widely, surrounding both spellcasters, and they faded to reveal Tempest Magician (6/2200/1400), a strong woman wearing sea blue robes and wielding a scythe with a see-through blade made of focused energy.

"You just tuned monsters together on your turn?" Kusuma asked.

The only response Azure offered was a single nod.

Kusuma was starting to feel the power pouring off the Windwalkers. The power was hardly dwindling since the beginning of the duel. Maybe they preserved their power by trading places so often. That would explain why they split the five of them into two teams.

"Hey, wait," Kusuma said as he stopped and counted the Windwalkers very carefully. "Didn't there used to be six of them? Where did the other one disappear to?"

"You're right," Rinny realized. "What's going on?"

Azure scowled. "Only five of us are necessary to defeat you."

Kusuma reached into his pocket for a salt packet. He poured the contents onto his palm and then cast the salt into the air between the duel fields. He watched the way the salt reflected the light and shadows in the air as it crossed the plane of the three Azures and the two Auras. There was something about the way the streams of energy were distinct and identical, yet still connected between each body.

"Learn anything?" Azure asked.

"Only one thing: You aren't completely human."

Azure nodded. "I hold more Shadow power than any man ever has."

Rinny was concerned about the air that surrounded Azure and continued to consume her and Kusuma's bodies. But gripping her fingers tightly around her cards and feeling her own strength well up inside, she reminded Azure of one thing:

"You may have the strength of the Shadows, but so do we, and there are two of us." Matching her enthusiasm and desire to end this game, Kusuma began bursting with Shadows as well. The two waited until their Shadows merged, and Rinny poured all of it into her cards.

"I'll have Dark (2000) attack Night's End Sorcerer (400)," she decided. The lady in black battled with her scythe-wielding opponent and cleaved him in half. "When she destroys a monster in battle, she lets me summon another Fortune Lady Fire (2/+400/+400)." A woman dressed in red and wielding a rose-capped scythe appeared on the field. Full of mischief and bully, she instantly stabbed Tempest Magician (2200) with her scythe, and the entire field erupted into flames. "When she's summoned, she destroys a monster and inflicts damage equal to its attack power.

"And on top of that, Water (1200) still has a free attack." The woman in blue whipped her scythe across Aura, and the shadows spilled from her like blood.

Kusuma and Rinny 4900: Aura and Azure 3200 – 2200 – 1300 = 0.

The Shadows shielding the field began to swirl as a cyclone around the duelists. The cloud was too thick to see through until the eye moved and Rinny and Kusuma were no longer confined. They emerged from the cloud, finally visible to the concerned spectators. The cyclone focused on the Windwalkers, rotating faster and faster until the mass of Shadows finally weakened and dissipated into the air.

Within the walls of the cyclone now lay nothing but two Duel Disks. Any traces of Aura or Azure were gone completely.

Salman witnessed the event and scowled. "It seems Famine has betrayed us. But his fate no longer concerns me. The Seal is broken." With that, he turned toward the door and exited with his two remaining Horsemen close behind.

Now the duel was done, but Kusuma felt exhaustion wash over him like a wave. When his knee hit the floor, Lucy rushed to his side. "Are you alright?"

"I'm okay," he assured her, reacting nervously when she touched his hood. "Where are Aura and Azure?"

"I don't know," she answered. "We couldn't see what happened during that duel."

Kusuma felt incredible guilt bear down on him. "We let Aura and all of them get taken into the Shadow Realm. It's our fault."

Bryan said with a deep, stern voice, "No, you didn't." Kusuma looked to Bryan for an explanation. "He brought the Shadows into the game. And his real body wasn't even there. All you defeated were clones forged from Shadow energy."

Numbers looked baffled. "Are you serious?"

With a nod, he added, "Azure Windwalker has more Shadow magic than even Salman does. But he divides his power among each his of clones and himself. That means he attacked you at maybe half strength. The purpose behind six clones was a ruse to make it seem as though he were attacking you with the strength of six duelists."

Kusuma took in Bryan's words and realized what that meant for the duel. "Then Aura threw the duel again. Why?"

Rinny answered for him, "He, she, or they must have finished their purpose."

Suddenly a loud beep preceded a message on the public announcement system. The electronic voice spoke, _"All duelists will now have one hour for lunch. At that time, everyone continuing through the Thelemic Pantheon must be in their own rooms in order to proceed. Any duelist caught inside another duelist's room will forfeit both students' rights to move up. Repeat…"_

* * *

One hour later, Kusuma and Rinny were left on the third floor of the Thelemic Pantheon while their friends from Duel Academy progressed upward on their shoulders. The floor was much quieter with no one else around, and that gave it a much creepier feel. At this time, the pair had only three real options: They could sit around and work on their projects that were due in two days, they could shirk their schoolwork entirely, or they could figure out how to go back down to the second and first floors to meet up with Mitsuro and Darius.

"I want to make one stop first," Kusuma said. He didn't leave the residential hall; he walked up to one of the doors that hadn't been replaced with an elevator tube. Rinny knew through deductive reasoning who they would find inside.

One young boy sat at the desk inside the room. His desk faced the door almost like he expected company. His hair was wild and violet-shaded, his face was one step shy of a scowl, and his skin was perfect enough to envy. His eyes almost seemed to sparkle; he really could have been a tough-looking girl. But he looked like he'd been through a hectic and strenuous ordeal, such as dueling with six different decks.

"I wondered if you'd come by," he spoke softly.

Kusuma interpreted that as an invitation and stepped inside the bland, scarcely-decorated room. Everything was in perfect condition except for a single suitcase on the floor. The room looked like Azure lived straight out of that suitcase.

"We have a few questions."

"I assumed. I believe I already told you that I don't remember anything about getting this power except that Pegasus caused it."

Rinny asked him, "Let's just start with what your powers are."

"Fine. Quite simply, I have too much Shadow magic. I have no idea how it happened or why it hasn't eaten me from the inside-out, but by expelling a controlled portion of my power, I can create a duplicate of myself. It helps me control the power whenever it starts to burn."

"Then there never was an Aura Windwalker?"

"Not a real one. All my life, I've been told I had a girly appearance; I decided to make my clone into a sister personality because people asked fewer questions. I needed to have one clone at all times to prevent the shadow energy within me from burning me from the inside."

"So it's too much even for you," Kusuma deduced. "But where did all of this power come from?"

"I already said I don't know."

"Right. Sorry," Kusuma said. "I naturally keep coming back to that one. Then let me ask this: What power did the Shadows give to the others?"

Azure made a face. "Don't mistake my willingness to talk now as either friendship or help. I am only as eager for answers as you, and I have no concern for Salman."

"Understood," he agreed.

Azure took a deep breath and let it out slowly. He was still worn from giving so much of his power to six clones earlier. "This is all I know:

"Sora Mikano was able to read minds the same way one hears speech; by exerting himself and manipulating sensory interpretation, he could determine what another sees. Rachel Avila can influence one's emotions beyond the power of mere words; she is capable of turning brave men into cowards."

"Yeah," Rinny agreed. "When she dueled Darius, she convinced him that winning a duel wasn't important because he still worried about the area his younger sister was growing up in."

"Starza had the ability to control a person like he was her puppet. And everyone can manipulate the Shadows. That means any game can become a Shadow Game at any time."

Kusuma kept count, wondering, "What about Elaine and Salman?"

"Elaine Bouldin never shared details. I only know she can change the composition of one's hand, within certain limits. Salman, on the other hand, seems to be in a whole other class. His duel power kills people."

"Kills people," Kusuma repeated. "He's the one Bryan wants to duel."

Azure scoffed. "Bryan's fate is his own. He will be in for a magnificent challenge. I only await the arrival of Pegasus. _Then_ we will be able to find the answers I seek."

* * *

_That felt absolutely brutal. I'm glad that chapter is done. I really wanted to make the duel more exciting (i.e., down to the wire), but I couldn't do it. I'm mediocre at best when writing duels, and this was a tough one. I can't believe I have two more tag duels in this arc..._

_Four more chapters in this mini-arc, and then about equal parts for the second mini-arc, effectively making this one the longest portion of my story yet. During the next chapter, Sora releases details of Salman's plan, and someone will attempt to resist Rachel's uncanny ability for finding and latching onto a person's weakness.  
_

_Credits:_  
_Darius Mantzios...tiramisu19_  
_Jason Maxim...Maxim and Knight_  
_Nathan Zislaw...Mavrik Zero_  
_Hillary Delaney...Nodqfan144_  
_Lili Von...Happy2BMe_  
_Carter Jade...Jaden2010  
Mitsuro Itachu & Sora Mikano...Titanic X  
Sean Bivins...DarkVestroia2_  
_Ivy Roaks...Mental Panda_  
_Hayley Wilson...TeamRocketDiva_  
_Maikeru Stone...onyxshade7  
Victor Rocks & Abel Shinzou...Iron-Arm-V_  
_Alister Kazama & Jessica Parks...ZaneKazama001_  
_Synthia Spencer...Madly Chessur_  
_Leila & Linear Lockhart & Azure Windwalker...Windraider__  
Logan Wilson...MercWithTheMouth13_  
_Allen Tebaro...Nouva17  
Tai Ishihara...ZAFT Prime  
Cain Valin...FE96jAFFAR_  
_Kusuma Megumi & Ringo Takagame...VStriker_  
_Rachel Avila...Amourenvie_  
_Starza's Magic: The Gathering deck...drake202_  
_Everyone else so far...YamiRuss_


	21. Wavering Resolve

Chapter 21: Wavering Resolve

"How are you doing?"

Numbers' voice startled Hillary out of her daze. She forced a smile and looked up at her friend. She still wore her blue Academy jacket; she hadn't taken it off once since arriving at the Pantheon.

"Sorry about that. I was just off in la-la land for a moment."

Numbers chuckled at the comment, but she read more into it. She sat down near Hillary and asked, "This is your first time dealing with anything Shadow Realm-related, isn't it?"

Hillary nodded. "I honestly thought it was all just urban legends. I never believed all those stories about people with magic powers and duels that ended with one person dying or in a coma. It just defies physics."

"It defies _known_ physics," Numbers corrected her. "The Shadow Realm is like another plane of existence. I don't really understand it, but that's because you have to know physics on a quantum level, and I don't. All I really know is what it feels like."

"Really?" Hillary heard Bryan and Lucy and Mitsuro talk about being held within the Shadow Realm constantly, but Numbers never mentioned it before. "What did you have to do with the Shadows?"

"Well, two years ago, when the god cards opened a gateway to the Shadow Realm and invited every student who lost a duel to enter, I thought I could stop it. I figured, 'They're just cards; I'll beat them the same way I beat everyone.'"

"How'd that work out?"

"I tried confronting a guy who obtained all three Sacred Beast Cards. I nearly had him beat, but he managed to stop my Yata-Lock strategy and send my mind to the Shadow Realm."

Hillary was almost afraid to ask, "What was that like?"

Numbers recounted the horrific image of seeing her closest school friends fall into deep comas around campus after encountering the god cards. The medical center was flooded with students plugged into IV fluid drips, and the gymnasium floor was crowded with scared students, each unsure what caused this epidemic illness and concerned for the ultimate fate of the school. It was pure chance that brought Numbers to face off against Julian Keene. She went to the library for a new book to read and caught sight of someone who wasn't a student or a staff member. She never figured out what he was doing there, but she followed him back to the Medici Building and found out he had all three Sacred Beast Cards.

After she lost the duel, Numbers felt the Shadows consume her mind. She found herself wandering the Duel Academy campus in perennial darkness, and each of her friends turned into a bat person.

"Bat people?" Hillary repeated.

Numbers looked offended. "Don't laugh. They scare the crap out of me! And they were everywhere. The entire time I was in the Shadow Realm, my friends turned into bat people and chased me around, trying to eat me. It didn't matter where I hid because they have incredible senses of smell."

Hillary gasped and covered her mouth. "That sounds horrible."

"It was. I almost didn't return to Duel Academy after that." She sighed, forcing a smile at what she was about to say. "I tried so hard to make it seem like I wasn't bothered by it. I wouldn't want the others to know I still have nightmares about it to this day."

"I won't tell," she promised.

Numbers nodded slowly and looked Hillary right in the eye. "I really don't want to force your involvement in this mess. I would love it if you never had to deal with the Shadow Realm. But it doesn't look like that is likely an option. There are four of us left, and three dangerous opponents; plus, I think Pegasus is going to duel anyone leftover." She shrugged. "Maybe I'm wrong, but here's what I'm thinking:

"Bryan definitely wants to duel Salman. If Salman uses Uria, then maybe Bryan will be the only one who can. I want to duel Elaine. I think I know what her trick is and I might have a way to beat it that you or Lucy would have trouble attempting. But here's the real kicker: Bryan says Rachel might have the ability to manipulate our emotions."

"Really? How?"

"I don't know _how_. I just know _what_. Lucy said that Rachel's power almost made her fall in love with Sora, and she made both Mitsuro and Darius quit their duels against her by playing on their emotions." She hesitated before adding, "I'm afraid that she will find a way to play on my fear of the Shadow Realm. If she does that, there's no way I can beat her. Neither Lucy nor I are suited to battling her."

Hillary put it all together. "Don't worry. I'll duel her."

"Are you sure?" Numbers asked, not sounding surprised or objecting. "She might locate your greatest fears and insecurities and play them up big time."

Hillary motioned broadly to emphasize the wheelchair where she sat. "I've been in a wheelchair since I was a toddler. I've spent my whole life dealing with my greatest insecurity. What else can she do to me?"

Numbers smiled and gave her a hug around the shoulders. "Just know that I am right behind you the whole time."

"Thanks. But it's time for me to do my part in standing up against the darkness."

* * *

Old-fashioned research was hard. Reading book after book with words that have six syllables and pages that nearly crumbled at the touch… The only thing more difficult was listening to Sora complain about it the whole time.

"What do you really think we're going to find in here?" he asked Mitsuro. They were digging through Starza's office and reading the research materials she brought to the office. In all honesty, Mitsuro just hoped that something would pop out at her; she wasn't sure if this kind of research would produce any fruits.

"Just keep reading," she commanded. "Find anything that sounds like what Starza and Salman talked to you about. There's got to be some connection between this mess. I refuse to believe it is pure coincidence that the Ghost Duelist on campus became more active just before we get invited to Santa Barbara's Tower of the Shadow Realm. There's a connection somewhere. We just have to find it."

"And how come he gets the computer?" Sora pointed over to Darius, who was busy searching through Starza's computer files with the same goal in mind.

"He needs the internet to translate for him. English isn't even his second language; it's his third."

Sora sneered. "Yeah, I remember."

Just the previous afternoon, Sora told Mitsuro and Darius everything he knew about Salman's plans. Everything came down to purifying the world by bringing god back into the world.

"_God spoke to us," Salman claimed. At the time, he was referring to Starza as a partner. "He told us the world is so full of sin and evil that humanity can only be saved through reunification with God himself. To that end, we have selected you as our Four Horsemen."_

"_What does that mean?" Sora asked snidely. He didn't understand this offer for power. He could already read minds; how much more power did he need?_

_Starza explained, "God cannot freely cross over dimensional divides. Long ago, humans attempted to make direct contact with the gods. They built giant towers and practiced mystical rituals. In order to keep people from reaching the gods, magical seals were put in place. Those seals keep us from reaching the gods and the gods from coming back to us. We have to break them."_

"_That sounds like fun," Elaine spoke. "Changing the world through magic. We may be the only ones capable of it."_

"_We are," Starza agreed._

_Rachel wondered, "How do we break the seals? What does that entail?"_

"_It will be tricky," Salman answered, "because it requires instilling the seals within a human body. The seals will offer you small portions of the power of God. The only way for them to be broken is during a magical ritual." He produced a deck of cards in his hand. "A duel is perfect. It is the easiest ritual to enact, and it directly pits one person's spiritual energy against yours. If that person can overpower you, then the seal will be broken and we will be one step closer to releasing God into this world."_

"_That seems easy," Rachel suggested. "All we have to do is start a duel and then lose."_

_Starza disagreed. "It's not so easy. Once you have the power of God's seal, any magical ritual will compel you to use your full strength."_

"_Piece of cake," Sora remarked dryly. "We just have to find a duelist who is actually able to beat me. And them. Do you even realize how few people have ever beaten me?"_

_Salman smiled. "Fortunately, other talented duelists were invited to study within the Thelemic Pantheon. Perhaps they will possess the levels of strength we need."_

Despite the plan working out exactly, Sora's pride was still affected by it. He muttered, "I can't believe I ended up losing to the Greek."

Mitsuro asked, "Do you have any idea how racist that sounds?"

"I do not interpret it that way," Darius argued. "He lost to me because he does not understand Greek. He is simply disappointed by that fact."

"'Disappointed' doesn't even begin to describe it," Sora replied. "Definitely closer to 'pissed off.'"

Darius looked at him for a moment, but then he stopped himself as a look of realization passed over his face. "Right. I have heard that expression before. I always have to remind myself it is an expression. It is a very strange one and easy to make jokes about."

"None of them clichés, I'm sure."

"Shut up and read," Mitsuro scolded him.

* * *

Hillary glanced at Salman as she prepared her Duel Disk across the desk on her wheelchair. He looked tall and scary—very intimidating. He was a totally different person from the first day he introduced himself.

But her attention focused on Rachel. Wearing coordinated black and silver with purple bangles and necklaces, she carried a certain spooky aura about herself. Her face was perfectly expressionless, however—completely soothing. She almost gave the impression that she didn't know what was going to happen. Hillary found it hard to believe this unimposing girl could be a harbinger of darkness.

"I'm glad you made it here okay," Rachel spoke.

She was starting right off the bat. Hillary felt the way that comment was supposed to hit her—like she was an invalid who couldn't get around by herself. Maybe it was an accident, but Hillary felt that pang of self-consciousness strike her like it did so many times in her youth.

"I am, too," she replied heartily. She put on a big, friendly smile for Rachel. "These elevator rooms are a little confusing, aren't they? This morning, the hall was mauve. Who picked the color scheme?"

A smile slowly crept across Rachel's lips. She wasn't easily rattled, and neither was Hillary. This match was even.

"I'll start with my deck's key card—Bountiful Artemis (4/1600/1700)," Hillary said. A majestic archangel appeared on the field, cloaked in purple. "Now I'll set three cards and end my turn."

"Three defensive cards," Rachel commented. "A predictable strategy coming from one who plays with Counter Traps."

"Then you should know how to beat me." Hillary tried to look smug when she spoke. Maybe the best way to beat someone who could prey on her fears was to egg her on.

"Let's see."

As soon as she drew her card, the holographic image of her Duel Disk fell apart. "That's my card Drastic Drop Off," Hillary explained. "You immediately must discard the card you just drew."

"Very well," Rachel consented. As she tossed her card to the Graveyard, she commented, "You must not have much of a strategy ready if a small hand advantage makes you that happy."

"I'm easily amused," Hillary answered. "Life throws lemons all the time; best to enjoy each success as it comes, no matter how small." She smiled as Bountiful Artemis began to shine and gave her an additional card from the deck.

With a nod, Rachel continued. "Lemons, indeed. I'll summon Nova Summoner (4/1400/800)." Descending through a bright light was an archangel shaped like a wreath. A green gem in the center of the wreath shone brightly across the field. "And now I'll activate Creature Swap."

Just as an arrow appeared underneath Nova Summoner and began to curl around the field, Hillary countered, "I'll play Dark Bribe." An opulently-dressed man slipped a gold coin into Rachel's deck; the arrow stopped moving and immediately faded away. "Your Spell is negated and you draw a card instead." Bountiful Artemis began to shine again, and Hillary added, "I get to draw another card, too."

"Good. You're playing a very convincing duel." Still fairly expressionless, Rachel finished by setting one card facedown.

"Nice try," Hillary said. "If I hadn't negated Creature Swap, you could have done a number on my Life Points."

"Luckily for you, you have a rudimentary understanding of Trap Cards."

It occurred to Hillary just at that moment how out of practice she was with smack talk. She was trying to antagonize Rachel, but the Gothic girl was able to be so much more offensive with so much less effort. Hillary had seen Bryan mock other duelists and get them riled up. If she wanted to be really offensive, she'd have to be more like him.

"Alright, then," she decided, feeling foolish for how loudly she spoke. Attempting to be boisterous, she said, "It's time to open a little bit of butt-kicking on your donut-shaped monster."

Rachel smirked. "I think the expression you're shooting for is 'open a can of whup-ass.'"

"Right," Hillary said. She felt her cheeks flush and really hoped no one could see her. Blushing didn't help her antagonizing image. She decided to regroup by dueling to distract from her failed idiom.

"I'll summon Harvest Angel of Wisdom (4/1800/1000)." An archangel resembling a golden man stepped onto the field with a harvest horn in hand. She considered the field temporarily but had no easy way to remove Rachel's Trap. She decided to try playing that up. "Your facedown card might be really dangerous and I have no way to remove it, but what the heck? I'll attack anyway."

"Heck?" Rachel repeated as Harvest Angel blew his horn and the sound waves shattered Nova Summoner (1400). "You're a real potty mouth. Is your strategy to make me laugh? Maybe you should stick to the quiet, unimposing personality. It seems to suit you better."

She further pointed to the field. "Anyway, destroying Nova Summoner lets me summon a new, low-power angel from my deck. I'll summon Herald of Orange Light (2/300/500)." This monster was an orange crystal pouring a warm, orange glow across the field. It seemed like the opposite of a move made by a villain.

Suddenly the orange glow turned dull and pale. Watching the light from the crystal, Hillary lost sight of everything around her. Her environment was replaced by shadows. She felt very cold, and she noticed the goose bumps when she tried to warm herself.

"What's going on?"

"It's called a Shadow Game," Rachel explained. "Maybe you can resist my provocations, but you will not resist the Shadows."

Was she right? Could Hillary's years of inspirational quotes and reminding herself of her self-worth be stronger than the kind of dark magic that made even someone like Numbers shiver in fear? Or would the Shadow Realm crush her like it did so many others?

"I'm not scared," she claimed. "It's all a mind game."

"_Life_ is a mind game. Now make your move."

Hillary almost forgot about the duel. The Shadows frightened her—she felt alone without the ability to see Numbers in the wings—and she was coming to terms with the fact that she wasn't very skilled at smack talk. She had too sweet a disposition. Playing mind games with Rachel wouldn't work. She'd have to win this duel the old-fashioned way.

"Fine. I apologize for trying to mess with you. But you're right; I'm comfortable with who I am."

"So comfortable you thought you had to mimic Bryan to win."

Hillary had to squeeze the arm of her chair to avoid letting Rachel rattle her. The Shadows seemed to be strengthening Rachel's ability. Each time she spoke, Hillary felt like someone else was reaching into her heart and turning a dial on her emotions. She suppressed it so far, but she felt her patience wearing thin and her temper taking its place. She'd be best suited to finishing the duel quickly.

"Bountiful Artemis (1600) still hasn't attacked, so she'll attack Herald of Orange Light (300)." The archangel shone bright blue, and beams of light burst from its hands and cut through the darkness and the glowing, orange crystal. "I'll set one more card and end my turn."

Hillary 8000: Rachel 8000 – 400 – 1300 = 6300.

"I'll start by activating Valhalla, Hall of the Fallen." The floor began to vibrate in anticipation of the rising of the great hall where deceased heroes prepared for the End of Days.

"Magic Drain," Hillary countered. An undead spirit appeared behind Rachel and wrapped his arms around her, absorbing the magical energy that her body exuded. "Your Spell is negated, unless you want to discard a second Spell."

"Yes," Rachel agreed as she discarded Sanctuary in the Sky.

Hillary was a little displeased, but there was a silver lining. "Either way, Artemis gives me another card, and you lost an extra card. Hand advantage is clearly mine in this game."

"Let's hope it lasts you. I'll use Valhalla's effect to summon Tethys, Goddess of Light (5/2400/1800)." A white light exploded from Rachel, parting the Shadows and revealing a winged woman with white hair dressed in the same color robes.

"I'll play Solemn Judgment," Hillary declared. From above the field, an old, sage-like man appeared in the clouds with two angelic women close behind. "For half my Life Points, your summoning is negated and your monster is destroyed." The bearded sage raised his arm toward Tethys and banished her immediately to the Graveyard.

"You gave up half your Life Points for that?"

"Gladly," Hillary acknowledged. "Life Points change all the time, but now you have no monsters and my advantage is huge."

"That's true," Rachel commented dryly. "I'll activate Call of the Haunted." A headstone appeared on her field, and a purple mist rose from the grave beneath. Suddenly Tethys, Goddess of Light (2400) reappeared. "Care to counter that? Oh, right. You have no more facedown cards."

Hillary braced herself. She already inflicted a great deal of damage to herself, and it didn't pay off quite the way she hoped it would. There was a good chance now she bit off more than she could chew.

_Stop that,_ she snapped to herself. _You can't think like that. That's how she'll win. _The Shadows were playing with her, making her experience emotions alien to her during a typical duel. She began to understand why so many people played their cards as if this were not a game; once the Shadows find a foothold in one's mind, that person changes. One never fully returns from the Shadows.

"Make your move," she finally said with a smile on her face. "Whatever it is, I'll recover. I've still got a tremendous card advantage over you.

"Too true," Rachel muttered. It hardly even sounded like a put down.

Tethys hovered just above the floor and arched her back heavily. A bright light emerged from her chest and fired at Bountiful Artemis, piercing the archangel and shattering it into pieces.

As soon as her monster shattered, Hillary felt intense sadness fall upon her heart. She felt the tears form at the corners of her eyes and she wanted nothing more than to break down and mourn the loss of her monster. But a deep breath, a forced smile, and realization that this was her very first Shadow Game calmed her almost instantly.

"Shadow Games get intense, don't they?"

Rachel just smirked. "It's your turn."

Hillary 8000 – 4000 – 800 = 3200: Rachel 6300.

Hillary's hand was big and offered a variety of options, but the monster she really hoped to summon by protecting her monsters was currently beyond her reach. She needed two Tributes, but only one was currently available. But there is always more than one way to summon a monster…

"I'll activate Trade-In." She held up a card from her hand and slid it into the Graveyard. "By discarding an eight-star monster, I get to draw two cards." A bronze statue of a generic fairy sat on the field, exchanged in thin air for two gold coins. Hillary smiled with her hand. "Now I'll spend just a few more Life Points—specifically by playing Premature Burial to revive Splendid Venus (8/2800/2400)."

The legendary angel descended onto Hillary's field, with four white wings and baked in a golden light. She wore a long, flowing dress coated only by bases and a breastplate, and she carried a gem-capped scepter by her side. Her presence caused the darkness to recede and provided Hillary with a slight barrier.

"Splendid Venus is my trump card," Hillary said proudly. "As long as she's here, my card effects can't be negated." With a smile, she said, "Now it's time to return some of the Life Point damage." Venus thrust her staff forward, and a sheer blast of light waves overran Tethys (2400) and dissolved her into the air. "Harvest Angel (1800) will also attack." The golden man blew his horn again, and a blast of sound waves collided with Rachel directly. "I'll set two more cards and end my turn."

Hillary 3200 – 800 = 2400: Rachel 6300 – 400 – 1800 = 4100.

Rachel wasn't bother by Venus's light; in fact, she seemed more in her element than when the Shadows engulfed the field. She was ready for this situation.

"There are exactly four fairies in my Graveyard," she pointed out. "That's why I can summon Archlord Kristya (8/2800/2300) without Tributes." The archangel was humanoid, with a body like white crystal and wings red with a mix of light and shadow. "And when she's summoned, a fairy comes back from the Graveyard to my hand."

"Not this time," Hillary countered. The sky above her crackled loudly as a bolt of lightning struck Archlord Kristya and shattered her body. "By discarding one card from my hand, Divine Wrath negates your monster's effect and destroys her."

"I expected as much. Now I have exactly five monsters in my Graveyard, so I can play Pot of Avarice." A silver urn, speckled with gaudy jewels, stuck out its tongue from its large face studded with jeweled teeth. Five cards from the Graveyard entered the urn's opening and two cards emerged with its tongue. "My five monsters go back to the deck and I draw two cards instead." She looked over potentially the last cards of the duel and smiled.

"Using Valhalla's effect, I'll summon Airknight Parshath (5/1900/1000) to the field." A centaur galloped onto the field—half man and half stallion. He wore blue and gold armor laced with wings all around. He carried a sword in one hand and a shield in his other. "Finally, I can summon Herald of Orange Light (2/300/400)." Once again, the orange crystal that brought the Shadows reappeared on the field, allowing more Shadows to pour from its surface. "And now I'll tune them."

The orange crystal settled into the centaur's chest and resonated with its host. Both monsters became pure light and transformed into a large, white, serpentine dragon. A yellow mane flowed off its head as the dragon roared and sent shockwaves across the field. The roar seemed to make it stronger. "Ancient Sacred Wyvern (7/+3800/2000) is _my_ trump card, and she grows ever stronger as my Life Points grow higher than yours."

Unfortunately, Hillary couldn't counter this card; her other Trap was Call of the Haunted. She was forced to watch as the mighty dragon breathed a sharp beam of light that pierced Venus and caused the light inside her to explode.

"That ends my turn."

Hillary 2400 – 1000 = 1400: Rachel 4100.

Without Venus to protect her, the Shadows moved even closer to Hillary, washing over her wheelchair and threatened to consume her if that Wyvern landed one more powerful blow. She felt the fear pull on her as her mind began to show her the image of that dragon's teeth consuming her in a single bite, wheelchair and all.

"Call of the Haunted," she pleaded, and her Trap rose. In an instant, Splendid Venus (2800) was back on the field shining her protective light on Hillary. Suddenly she felt much warmer and calmer.

"Afraid of the dark?" Rachel jided.

"I'll be fine."

"You wasted your revival card on a monster I already beat."

"I did not."

Rachel smirked. "Oh? Is she suddenly stronger this time? My Wyvern (+ 4800) certainly is."

Hillary looked at Venus. Despite her brilliance, she was exactly the same as a moment earlier when she was destroyed. "She's the same."

"Oh. Then you must have some other strategy that you didn't try last time."

"Maybe," Hillary said. "I haven't drawn yet." She brought her hand to her deck, but then she hesitated.

"Don't quit now. Your friends at Duel Academy are known for being able to draw specific cards in clutch moments." The darkness grew heavy around her. "You're not known for anything. No one outside of the school even knows who you are. Do you really belong with that group, or are you just a throw-away?"

"Stop it."

"You're hardly a real duelist. Just a little girl whose wheelchair prevented her from joining her friends in the games all growing children play. The Shadows reveal your fear and anxiety. Here is where you see who you truly are."

Hillary's hand held steady next to her deck. She closed her eyes for a moment only to look up and gaze upon Splendid Venus, shining brightly in the midst of the Shadows despite being surrounded and overpowered. Seeing her powerful monster resisting the darkness and protecting her from it gave her a feeling of hope.

"We're not done yet," she whispered to her monster, and finally she pulled her next card from the deck.

"Venus, attack Ancient Sacred Wyvern!"

"Seriously?"

Hillary smiled. "Splendid Venus protects me from your dark energy, and now Honest will protect her from your dragon." Hillary discarded from her hand, and a man wearing blue robes appeared behind Venus. His wings were even larger than hers, and he generated his own light that merged with Venus. "When I discard Honest, my light monster gains the same power as any monster she attacks. Now Venus (+7600) is stronger." Venus thrust her scepter and smothered Rachel's Wyvern with her light energy.

Rachel endured Venus's runoff power as the Shadows parted. "Impressive."

"It's over," Hillary pointed out. She used her index finger and showed Rachel where to find the golden body of Harvest Angel of Wisdom. "It looks like my friends aren't all that far ahead of me, are they?" When Harvest Angel blew his horn, Venus blasted the darkness and the Shadows washed over Rachel, consuming her body and swallowing her whole.

* * *

_Fairies are a tough brand for me, but that still didn't take as long as recovering from the last tag duel. I see three remaining chapters in this mini-arc. In the next chapter, Numbers will attempt to unveil Elaine's ability and figure out a way to win in spite of it. On the other side, Darius will stumble on some startling information about the Thelemic Pantheon and its origins.  
_

_Credits:_  
_Darius Mantzios...tiramisu19_  
_Jason Maxim...Maxim and Knight_  
_Nathan Zislaw...Mavrik Zero_  
_Hillary Delaney...Nodqfan144_  
_Lili Von...Happy2BMe_  
_Carter Jade...Jaden2010  
Mitsuro Itachu & Sora Mikano...Titanic X  
Sean Bivins...DarkVestroia2_  
_Ivy Roaks...Mental Panda_  
_Hayley Wilson...TeamRocketDiva_  
_Maikeru Stone...onyxshade7  
Victor Rocks & Abel Shinzou...Iron-Arm-V_  
_Alister Kazama & Jessica Parks...ZaneKazama001_  
_Synthia Spencer...Madly Chessur_  
_Leila & Linear Lockhart & Azure Windwalker...Windraider__  
Logan Wilson...MercWithTheMouth13_  
_Allen Tebaro...Nouva17  
Tai Ishihara...ZAFT Prime  
Cain Valin...FE96jAFFAR_  
_Kusuma Megumi & Ringo Takagame...VStriker_  
_Rachel Avila...Amourenvie_  
_Starza's Magic: The Gathering deck...drake202_  
_Everyone else so far...YamiRuss_


	22. The Duel the Earth Stood Still

Chapter 22: The Duel the Earth Stood Still

The process of waking was slow. She was aware of light in the room, but her eyelids were too heavy to lift. Her eyes hurt almost as much as the rest of her body. Even twitching her shoulders hurt intensely.

"Don't move too much." She recognized Numbers' voice.

"Numbers? What happened? Where am I?"

None of those questions emerged from Hillary's mouth. In fact, her mouth never opened as she mumbled her attempted inquiry.

"Just relax. You were caught up in the Shadow Realm while it consumed Rachel. I think it hurt you more than most people because of your existing spinal disorder, and the fact that Rachel tried so hard to weaken your emotional resolve didn't help your defense. But you survived it. You won your very first trip to the Shadow Realm." She chuckled and added, "With any luck, it'll also be your last."

_No kidding. I feel like my bones are getting pulled straight out of my skin._

She felt Numbers place her hand gently on her shoulder. "You're in your dorm room now. Get some sleep and I'll check on you after my duel this afternoon."

Suddenly Hillary felt anxious. Numbers was going to duel Elaine, and she was a clear sadist. Numbers was likely to get hurt. Hillary tried to voice her concern, but the pain in her body prevented her from accomplishing her goal.

"Don't worry. I promise you, the Shadows won't beat me this time. I've got Elaine's number. You believe me?"

Hillary resisted the urge to argue ineffectively. By relaxing, she indirectly gave Numbers her faith.

"Thank you." Numbers patted her gently. "You did your part, Hillary. Now get some well deserved sleep."

As she vaguely heard Numbers leave the room and her mind filled with hypnogogic haze, she felt a heightened sense of self-praise. She beat a dangerous opponent in a Shadow Game. She was a true Duel Academy student now.

* * *

Elaine was stoked when she saw Bryan walk into the room with his dwindling entourage following close behind. It was exciting to see the antagonist force lose members every few hours. Seals be damned; she would love nothing more than to make them all suffer through a grueling duel. But maybe if she dragged out the pain long enough through the first duel, the exhaustion would enable her to lose a second.

And dragging out the first duel would give her all the pleasure she desired.

"I do hope Bryan is going to face me," she announced, licking her lips. "He's the only Duel Academy dropout I have yet to confront."

"No such luck," said Numbers Harper as she stepped up to the field.

"You've already lost to me once," Elaine frowned. "Are you sure you want to try again? Are you even capable of putting up a real fight?"

Numbers commented, "If you want a real fight, maybe you shouldn't use your powers. It's about time, don't you think, that you gave another duelist a fair shot?"

Elaine chuckled as the two activated their Duel Disks and set the duel stage. Immediately, Elaine's eyes turned dark and Shadows began to pour from her body like heavy sweat. "Let's not pretend this is a typical duel. We're taking this game straight into the Shadow Realm."

The darkness surrounded both duelists and formed a bubble around them, cutting them off from the Thelemic Pantheon and from their associates. No smells lingered in the air and the air temperature dropped from Santa Barbara heat to perfectly neutral levels. The air was comfortable, yet the chilly feeling of doom bore down imminently.

"Are you scared?" Elaine taunted. "The Shadows await to consume you at any moment."

Numbers waved off the taunt and pretended the Shadows were not a threat. "I've already survived a trip to the Shadow Realm once. I spend every day living on borrowed time."

"You've been to the Shadow Realm? When?"

"After I lost a duel to the Sacred Beasts, one of which your boss is using."

Elaine knew about Uria, Lord of Searing Flame. Salman took it in order to use its duel energy to strengthen the seals on God to the breaking point. Uria was essentially a card-shaped battery. That wasn't important in the grand scheme.

"What was it like inside?"

Numbers tilted her head. "It was personal hell."

"That sounds about right," Elaine agreed.

Though curious, Numbers wanted to get out of this duel as quickly as possible. "I'll summon Chaos-End Master (3/1500/1000) to start things off." Numbers' friend was a winged man dressed in white, skin-tight clothing. "Three facedown cards and I'll call it."

Elaine couldn't understand what she just saw. "How did you do that?"

"Do what?"

"You just played four cards straight off the top of your deck without even looking at them. How do you know you actually set Trap cards?"

"I don't," Numbers admitted coyly. "Maybe they're Spells."

"How did you do it?"

With a wry smile, she suggested, "I don't know. Maybe I'm psychic, too."

Elaine sneered. She didn't appreciate it when anyone else showed her kind of attitude. Being snide, sadistic, and insincere was a personality she displayed in order to upset her opponent and to maintain an emotional edge. That, coupled with her ability, gave her a low probability of defeat.

So why did she have a bad feeling about her chances in this duel?

"Time's up," Numbers called out. She pointed to her wrist even though she didn't wear a watch. "You got a move to make or do you want me to go again?"

"Snarky little witch, aren't you?" Only she didn't say "witch." She pulled out her top card hastily, ready to duel but already feeling insecure. Numbers wore a smirk this time that she lacked last time. Every duel ended with Elaine crushing her opponent; why did Numbers seem so confident it would end differently this time? And how did she play those cards without looking at them first?

"I'll play Mystic Tomato (4/1400/1100)." A demonic tomato sporting a wicked grin appeared on the field with a spin. "I, too, will set two cards and end my turn."

Elaine paused for a moment to shoot Numbers a cocky expression. Numbers simply smiled in return. "Why are you staring at me?" Elaine asked her.

"You're cute," was Numbers' insincere response.

Funny or not, Elaine couldn't exercise her ability if Numbers stared. If her timing was off even the slightest bit, the jig would be up and Numbers might guess the truth.

But Numbers goaded her, "The time is ripe, wouldn't you say?" She put a little too much emphasis on the word "time" for Elaine's comfort.

"Ripe for what?" she asked, playing ignorant.

Numbers shrugged. "Just… destroying that Tomato. I'll summon Giant Germ (2/1000/100) to help out." A large, airborne virus—blown up millions of times—drifted through the air in front of her. "Let's start by having Chaos-End Master (1500) destroy Mystic Tomato (1400)." Her winged warrior lifted himself off the ground with his powerful wings, flew across the field, and squashed the tomato with his tight, focused fist.

Suddenly Elaine felt her body fade away. A small portion of her chest—the anterior serratus—disappeared into the Shadows. The sensation was much like the aftereffect of holding a solid punch. Her chest felt tight around the faded muscle—a small pain for now but soon to grow stronger as the duel continued.

"Well played," Elaine gloated. "I do enjoy those 100-point attacks. They make the pain last for so long." Her squashed tomato disappeared and left behind a seed… but it wasn't a seed. The two bat-like wings opened to reveal a demon; the right side of its body was reasonably light in essence whereas the left side was noticeably darker, and it had a third, prominent eye in the center of its forehead.

"Yubel (10/0/0)," Numbers recognized. "An angel who fell after betraying its master."

"So you've heard the history of the card?"

"Everyone at Duel Academy has heard some form of the legend. So yes, I already knew the effect of that card before you used it against Mitsuro. She beat it, and so will I. Wanna see? I'm ending my Battle Phase but not my turn. You see, when Chaos-End Master destroys a monster in battle, I get to summon Sphere of Chaos (5/1600/0) from my deck," she spoke, adding a large, metal sphere with one bright light that resembled an eye to her field. "And now I'll tune my two monsters together."

Chaos-End Master reached out to the Sphere and covered both bodies inside his massive wings. The entire collection began to resonate and reshape itself into the form of a large, black dragon armed with a clawed tail, silver talons, bat-like wings, and a second face—separate from its head—located over its chest and stomach. "Here's my Dark End Dragon (8/2600/2100)."

"You've never used that yet," Elaine pointed out. She would have remembered a monster so hideous as to rival Yubel.

"Not here," Numbers admitted. "Once per turn, Dark End (-2100/-1600) can weaken itself by 500 points in order to send one monster you control to the Graveyard." The dragon flew across the field and landed in front of Yubel; reaching out with its sharp talons, the Dragon lifted the fallen angel and opened the jaws within its chest, consuming Yubel in a single gulp.

As Elaine looked on the field in disappointment, Numbers continued her taunting. "Did you notice the subtle difficulty for you? Dark End _removed_ Yubel from the field without destroying it. That means Yubel's effect doesn't activate and you don't get to use her effect."

"I have other ways," Elaine countered. "Like Limit Reverse." Yubel (0) faded into view just over the Graveyard until her see-through body became opaque. "It lets me revive a monster with less than 1000 points."

"Like Yubel?" She only grinned, fully aware of Yubel's potential for growth. "My turn is done."

Numbers 8000: Elaine 8000 – 100 = 7900.

"Here's where we'll make things interesting," Elaine said. "When I switch Yubel to defense mode…" When Yubel shifted to defend herself with her wings, her energy released and she exploded from the field. "When Yubel is destroyed, she evolves." The explosion covered the field in smoke momentarily, but as the smoke dispersed into the darkness, a dragon emerged on the field. Yubel's body grew proportionally larger, and it mutated. Her head divided into two long-necked dragon heads, each guarded by five horns along the skull. Her third eye remained in place between the two necks, growing now large enough to be a door. A powerful tail emerged from her back as her entire body grew additional claws and horns for defense. "Here's Yubel – Terror Incarnate (11/0/0)."

Numbers looked at the dragon somewhat in awe. "Apt name," she decided.

"I like that," Elaine chuckled. "But I'm getting rid of her. Terror Incarnate is not useful for me, so I'll send her to the Graveyard in order to summon Destiny Hero – Dasher (6/2100/1000)." This monster appeared on the field in a blur, skating past Elaine on wheeled legs. When it spun around and stopped, it revealed itself as a humanoid robot bearing a strong resemblance to Transformers.

But as Dasher settled, something else began to grow on the field. "When Terror Incarnate is removed," Elaine explained, "she evolves again." The dragon's scales grew heavier and adopted a purple hue. Its two necks grew longer as the horns on each head multiplied; each head now carried an additional face resembling Yubel's original. The eye on its chest between its heads developed into a full face as a third head sprouted atop the ribcage, and two more eyes grew above and below the new head. Two wings spread from the dragon's shins and its talons grew even longer and deadlier. "This is Yubel – The Ultimate Nightmare (12/0/0)."

"Yes," Numbers nodded. "I remember." Only slightly influenced by the inherent fear of Yubel, she lifted one of the cards in her hand toward the Graveyard.

"Wait," Elaine uttered. She needed to know what card that was before she let Numbers make a potentially devastating move. With Numbers' gaze temporarily transfixed in between the field and her Duel Disk, Elaine took the opportunity to walk across the field, weaving between monsters brought to life by the Shadows, and stand behind Numbers long enough to get a look at her cards.

The card Numbers lifted was Dark Grepher, but it almost looked like she was carrying him to the Graveyard. For good measure, Elaine checked out the other card; it was Chaos Hunter. It was a strong card considering Numbers was about to summon it without Tributes and on Elaine's turn, but there was no real threat to it.

"Any chance you want to share your facedown cards?" she wondered, trying to crane her neck to get a good look at Numbers' Duel Disk. Unfortunately, the cards were in far enough that Elaine could only see colors without words; Numbers had two set Traps and one Spell.

She stood back up and sighed as she looked at the field. "That would mean you have no more cards in your hand. That's no good. I can't just do this duel the old-fashioned way. Why have this ability if I can't use it once in a while?" She reached for Dark Grepher and thought to slide it from between Numbers' fingers.

Her own fingers touched the card and slid right back off. "What the hell?" She touched her fingers together, clearly feeling some kind of moisture but unable to see or determine what it was. The only thing certain was that Numbers held the card firmly and the moisture prevented Elaine from getting enough of a grip to take the card away.

"Whatever. Keep the card. It's not really a threat to me, anyway." Casually, she walked back across the field to her earlier position. "As you were."

Suddenly Numbers continued moving. She tossed her Dark Grepher card into her Graveyard and placed the other card on her Duel Disk. "When you Special Summon a monster, I can discard a card from my hand to summon Chaos Hunter (7/2500/1600), although Huntress is probably a more accurate name." Her new cohort was a masked woman, dressed in crimson leather and brandishing a whip.

Numbers interrupted her own train of thought when she saw the field again. "Did you just try it?"

Elaine didn't even hear the question. Staring at the physical card—not the hologram—Elaine was trying to figure out what Numbers did to prevent her from taking the card away. "I see light reflecting from your card. Is there some kind of oil on it?"

She didn't get an answer, unless a grin counts. "Are you going to finish your turn?" was all Numbers said.

"Fine. It's about time for Yubel (0) to confront your Dark End Dragon (2100)." Elaine rather enjoyed the similarities between her ultimate monster and the one defending Numbers. Each had a second (or third) face on its chest, and both were powerful dragons.

"Attack." Yubel's eyes—all sixteen of them—began to shine. It was the kind of deep red shine that, relative to the surrounding darkness, inherently instill deep terror within human hearts. Elaine could almost feel Numbers' terror—displayed only through holding her breath and clenching her fist. And she relished the feeling.

Dark End Dragon made the attack. It lumbered heavily across the field, shaking the ground with each step. It roared at Yubel and then whipped its tail forward with snake-like swiftness. Both of Yubel's necks reacted in kind, whipping underneath Dark End's tail and snaring it with their horns. They pulled the trapped dragon until it was close enough for the horns on Yubel's body to impale the beast further. Finally, Yubel's eyes all released Shadow energy that shot straight through several points of entry in the dragon's armor. Some of the beams pierced Numbers, as well.

"That was beautiful," Elaine said excitedly. She watched eagerly as Numbers began to fade around the right side of her chest, right where Yubel hit her. Her right hand, from the elbow down, floated in space, disconnected from her body, which missed everything between her neck and hips on her right side. The look on her face was one of strained acceptance; she was forcing herself to ignore the pain associated with having her body consumed by the Shadows. That look was the only thing Elaine found more pleasurable than the pain itself.

"Are you done?" Numbers asked, the strain apparent in her voice.

"Not even close. It's time for Dasher (2100) to spread that Giant Germ (1000) of yours." The robot skated across the field; the rockets on its back engaged and blasted the robot straight through the Germ. The Germ exploded, spreading its viral DNA around the field. Elaine felt the effects as her left wrist disappeared into the Shadows; Numbers witnessed the effects as two more Giant Germs (1000) growing from the DNA.

But she also suffered as her fading chest spread across the rest of her belly and deep past her hips. Now her upper chest floated over her disconnected legs, moving jointly through will and not physics. She grunted as the pain spread. Elaine rarely got to see someone resist so thoroughly; it was so much sweeter.

"Destroying Giant Germ lets me summon two more from the deck, and it deals 500 points of damage to you."

"I know, and I don't mind. I'll set one card and end my turn."

Numbers 8000 – 2100 – 1100 = 4800: Elaine 7900 – 500 = 7400.

"Are you scared?" Elaine asked. "Almost half of your body has been consumed by the Shadows. I can see the pain in your eyes; they look bloodshot to me."

"I'm fine," Numbers said certainly. She hadn't drawn her card yet. "I have exactly what I need to beat Yubel in my deck. Wanna see it?"

Elaine scoffed. "You're bluffing. You don't even have a hand. How can you be so confident?"

Numbers drew and, keeping her card firmly between her palm and her thumb, she moved it straight to her Monster Zone without looking at it. "I'll send both Giant Germs to the Graveyard to summon Light and Darkness Dragon (8/2800/2400)." Emerging from a ring of light was a dragon of almost perfect, opposite symmetry. Its head was guard by horns, its wings were large, and it had two tails, but whereas the right side of the dragon was white with a feathered wing, the left side was black with a bat-like wing.

"Light and Darkness," Elaine muttered. "You think you can resist the darkness just because you play a few cards with dual attributes?"

"I am like the chaos," Numbers commented. She did give off that kind of vibe; she had the appearance of a sweet girl but the attitude of a miserable Goth. "And Light and Darkness Dragon can negate all of Yubel's effects. Wanna see?"

"Luckily, I have protection." Elaine pressed the button to activate her Trap, but it wouldn't budge from its position. "What's happening?" Chaos Hunter bore down on Yubel and brandished her whip. She tried pressing the button repeatedly. "Hurry!"

"If your Trap isn't activating, I'm guessing it's something to remove a card from play—like Dimensional Prison or something." Numbers pointed her thumb at Chaos Hunter; a second whip was already wrapped around Elaine's Trap, but it was difficult to see because of the Shadows covering the floor. "While she's on the field, you can't remove anything from play."

Elaine growled as Chaos Hunter attacked. Yubel snared the leather-clad fighter and began to reel her in, but suddenly a stream of fire—white flame burning off with a black air—separated the two monsters. Light and Darkness Dragon weakened itself in order to negate Yubel's battle immunity; the second time Chaos Hunter slashed with her whip, she cut Yubel straight in half.

"So much for your ace monster," Numbers said. Light and Darkness weakened itself once more as Yubel's eyes began to emit final attacks. The white flame smothered Yubel's remains before any damage could happen to Chaos Hunter or Numbers.

"Maybe you survived unscathed," Elaine said while she felt the pulling sensation of her abdomen and right hip down to her knee consumed by the Shadows, "but your Dragon had to weaken itself twice in order to negate Yubel's plentiful effects."

"I know. It's annoying. But so was your monster." She pointed out that Destiny Hero – Dasher (1000) shifted to a defensive position after it attacked last turn. "Light and Darkness (-1800/-1400) is still plenty strong enough to take him down." The Dragon breathed a sheer column of white and black flame that swamped the skating robot and obliterated it. "That's all I have for now."

Numbers 4800: Elaine 7900 – 2500 = 5400.

Elaine inhaled deeply, cherishing the sharp pain that came with it. "I love that feeling." She turned around her card. "I drew a monster. Dasher's effect lets me Special Summon the monster I drew." Immediately, white flames struck her Duel Disk and negated any effects from the Graveyard.

"Light and Darkness (-1300/-900) responds automatically."

"I know. Here's Foolish Burial." As soon as her card appeared on the field, Light and Darkness incinerated it in white flame. "As I expected. Correct me if I'm wrong, but Light and Darkness (-800/-400) can't use that effect anymore."

"Correct. If his points can't decrease by 500 each, he can't use his effect."

"Perfect. I'll summon Destiny Hero – Diamond Dude (4/1400/1600)." She summoned a warrior cloaked in green and studded all over with diamonds. "I'll start with his effect." She picked up a card from her deck and smiled as she tossed it into the Graveyard. "On my next turn, Destiny Draw will activate itself. For now, I'll play Future Fusion." A green time vortex appeared on the field, drawing in the images of Dogma and Plasma. "That's also for later."

"You do an awful lot of planning," Numbers commented.

"Not all of us can predict which cards we'll draw."

"That's true. Some of us stop time."

Elaine gasped. How could some girl possibly figure that out? Elaine wanted to assume it was just a random, lucky guess. But Numbers kept reciting idioms with the word "time." Her cards were covered with some kind of oil that prevented anyone else from getting hold of it. And she played her cards straight from the deck, holding them in such a way as to prevent anyone else from seeing.

"What are you saying?"

"I'm saying freezing time has got to be a nice way to get the things you want. It seems a shame to waste it on stealing a glance at someone else's hand and hiding dangerous cards from them."

Dropping all pretense—Numbers seemed pretty convinced and there was little reason to argue—Elaine told her, "Well, saving the world sometimes requires personal sacrifice."

"How'd you get that power?"

"I've had it since I was a child. Does this mean you plan to play the rest of this duel with no cards in your hand?"

"Yes, it does."

Elaine nodded. "Fine. Tell me how you can play your cards without looking at them."

"No."

Anger never entered her mind. Elaine only felt pleasure at the idea of receiving and dispensing more pain as the Shadow Game continued to consume them both. "Good. Diamond Dude (1400) will crush Light and Darkness (800)." Creating diamonds from his skin as if he were flexing his muscles, Diamond Dude forced a barrage of diamonds to emerge from his body and pelt the Dragon until nothing remained, and several bits of debris struck Numbers.

A secondary explosion occurred next. All the energy built up by Light and Darkness Dragon exploded on Numbers' field and destroyed all her facedown cards plus Chaos Hunter. But when the darkness faded, the light remained for just a moment and took the form of Chaos-End Master (1500).

"Your turn."

Number 4800 – 600 = 4200: Elaine 5400.

"The last turn," Numbers corrected her. Once more, Numbers didn't even look at her card when she moved it from the deck to the Duel Disk. "I'll activate The Beginning of the End." A black portal, encased by cryptic symbols, appeared in front of Numbers. "I have exactly seven dark monsters in my Graveyard. By removing five of them from play, I get to draw three cards."

As soon as Numbers picked up her three cards, Elaine decided time needed to stop once more. Although Numbers noticed nothing, the action felt to Elaine like a muscle spasm that started in her stomach and spread rapidly to her extremities. When even the Shadows ceased their incessant dancing, Elaine drifted to Numbers' side and reached for her hand.

She couldn't grip the cards. "Damn it," she grumbled. "What the hell did she do to these cards?"

At a loss for any way to influence the duel, Elaine punched Numbers in the shoulder. Numbers didn't react, but she would feel it the moment Elaine restarted time. Awaiting that moment, Elaine returned to her former location.

Numbers suddenly dropped one of her cards due to the intense pain that suddenly shot through her shoulder. "Ow! Did you punch me that time?"

Elaine saw an opportunity. She immediately expelled more of her power into stopping time. Numbers' face was twisted with pain—a satisfying look for Elaine as she targeted the card her opponent dropped.

This time, however, the pain in her stomach was too much to take. She stumbled while she was still in the middle of the field and inadvertently released her spell. She was still struggling against the pain when Numbers picked up her dropped card.

"It takes a toll on you, doesn't it?" Numbers asked her.

Elaine grunted and finally pushed herself off the ground. "It takes a lot of focus. And yes, it's mentally exhausting."

"Do you want to continue, or will you just stop dueling here?"

That prompted hysterical laughter. "I thrive on the pain. We're taking this duel to the end."

"Well said. I'll remove Light and Darkness Dragon and Sphere of Chaos from play to summon Black Luster Soldier – Envoy of the Beginning (8/3000/2500)." The knight clad in black and gold armor, shining with such luster as to blind anyone looking directly at it, stepped onto the field. He drew his sword and readied his shield. "As additional backup, I'll summon Chaos Hunter with Premature Burial." Clawing her way out of the ground was Numbers' red-leather whip wielder.

Numbers paused for just one moment before declaring her attack. "Do you want to know how I did it?"

"What? Play cards without looking at them?"

She nodded. "I marked each of my cards with a reflective oil that can't be seen except when I wear this contact lens." She poked her own eye and removed a single lens. It had a pink tint to it but otherwise was unremarkable. "That's what you felt when you tried to move my cards. I know you tried because some of that oil rubbed off on your fingers. I can see it when I have the lens in."

Elaine touched her fingers together again. She couldn't feel the oil anymore, but she remembered it. "So you were cheating the whole time?"

"Technically, yes. But so were you."

"I cheated just to make things interesting."

"I cheated just to keep them boring." Numbers scoffed. "Besides, I didn't end up needing it. Turns out the only benefit was preventing you from cheating." She moved her hand over her Black Luster Soldier and initiated an attack against Destiny Hero – Diamond Dude (1400). The Soldier's sword fell heavily and shattered the diamonds comprising the Hero's skeletal matter.

"Look on the bright side; you'll finally lose more than half your Life Points." Black Luster Soldier—still standing tall after destroying Diamond Dude—lunged again, this time swinging his sword through Elaine directly, giving to the Shadows her left leg and both arms. "Chaos Hunter will end the duel, both figuratively and literally." Brandishing her whip with invisible speed, the leather hunter struck Elaine and gave her remaining body to the Shadow Realm entirely.

"I cherish the pain," Elaine uttered just before her head faded.

Numbers 4200 – 800 = 3400: Elaine 5400 – 1600 – 3000 – 2500 = 0.

* * *

When the darkness pulled away from Numbers and swarmed Elaine's side of the field, Bryan and Salman both knew what transpired, and neither was any longer concerned with other duelists. They made and held eye contact for two full minutes while the Shadows enveloped Elaine's body and consumed her from the inside.

"Finally," Bryan uttered.

Salman seemed of like mind. "Return to your rooms now," he urged. "We will not wait for tomorrow morning. We will complete this little tournament in twenty minutes."

"Perfect."

Bryan didn't even notice the look of concern on Lucy's face. He didn't care that she foresaw only two possible outcomes: Either Salman won and the world would come to an end, or Bryan won and he became the darkness that was slowly eating away at him.

All Bryan cared about was matching and quashing Salman's power.

* * *

Earlier that week, Kusuma learned that the panels in the back of the dorm rooms weren't a place for fire extinguishers, but a hidden control for the elevator system. It gave him concern for the fire safety of each room considering there were no windows, but at least he and Rinny were free to move back down to lower floors to see Mitsuro and Darius. Unfortunately, the controls were locked to prevent anyone from rising to a higher floor than he or she earned.

"You've spent this whole time trying to figure out what Salman is up to?" Rinny asked Mitsuro.

"With little luck," Mitsuro answered. "We've gotten the part where he wants to bring god back into this world in order to purify it, but I'm not convinced. It just feels like there's something more to it than that."

"You don't trust the word of a psychic man hell-bent on purifying the world through the resurrection of a divine being he contacted through an ancient ritual?" Kusuma teased. "Yeah. I wouldn't go with him, either."

"He asked you?" Sora complained. He seemed jealous that Salman would consider someone whose only ability seemed practically useless.

Kusuma shook his head. "I saw his idea in the salts. Most of it, anyway. I corroborated what I saw with a vision Rinny had of him and just put together the only story that seemed to fit."

Azure scoffed. It was strange that he even joined the group, but he stood in the doorway as if he were half-interested in what was going on now that the group was no longer part of the Pantheon. Kusuma found it odd looking at Azure, knowing that he masqueraded as a girl for so long.

"Salman's not the real threat," Azure pointed out. "Pegasus brought us here. Pegasus created this card game ritual. The Shadow Realm follows Pegasus around like a shadow."

"Apt analogy," Sora remarked. "How'd you avoid the Shadows, anyway?"

Azure cocked his head as if offended and ready for a fight. "I have too much energy for the Shadows to beat me after losing only one duel. How'd _you_ get away?"

Sora put on a tough-guy expression and said, "I just sat there and let Mitsuro's magic card heal me."

Mitsuro faked a laugh. "Yeah. Let's just say I seem to have developed some immunity to the Shadows. Lucky for me."

"Here is an interesting news article," Darius commented, quiet until that moment. He was sitting in the back of Starza's office at the desk, still working through her computer.

"Article?" Sora repeated snidely. "Is it an article about the Shadow Realm? How about the end of the world? Maybe it's an article written by Salman entitled, _Which parts of the story I told my Horsemen were lies_?"

"No," Darius answered simply. "But it is about you."

"Him?" Mitsuro repeated. She stood up and walked behind the computer desk to get a look at the screen. Unfortunately, everything was written in the Greek alphabet, which just looked like statistics homework to her. Darius obviously translated the page to an easier language. "I have no idea what that says. You read it."

"I put all of your names into a search engine and returned one page. It is a news record of a lawsuit settlement against Crowley Labs."

Rinny asked, "What's Crowley Labs?"

"This only says it was a research company engaging in tests of human intelligence. Their equipment failed and created side effects in the test subjects."

"Side effects?" Sora repeated loudly. "They call this just a _side effect_? Those morons obviously don't understand how mentally draining it is when you're six years old and unable to drown out all the noise that comes from every single organism with a brain that comes nearby." He narrowed his eyes at Mitsuro. "Did you realize that even dogs have internal thoughts? Yeah! They don't vocalize every bark that crosses their minds. But I sure as hell can hear it psychically!"

Rinny rubbed the back of his shoulder. "Poor guy. You know what happened to me? I almost walked in front of a bus because a vision blinded me to where I was going." She shot Mitsuro a glance. "Ironically, it was a vision of that movie where a girl steps in front of a bus and gets killed. Then two days later, my best friend made me watch _Final Destination_."

Kusuma was still by the window, but he wasn't playing with the salt anymore. "I know that name from somewhere… Crowley Labs?"

Azure knew it, too. "Crowley Labs is a dummy corporation for Industrial Illusions. Pegasus founded it so he could do his human experimentation without his company being directly connected to it." He nodded at Darius. "The lawsuit was their way of silencing our parents when our psychic abilities became apparent."

Mitsuro was only marginally interested in the lawsuit. "Right. Rinny mentioned that earlier. But what was the point? What's the connection between Pegasus and Salman and Starza, other than Pegasus obviously hired the two of them to teach this 'course.'" She made a point to use air quotes when she spoke that last word.

"Salman and Starza were also victims of Pegasus's experiments," Darius told her. "Salman Nazari and Starza Almasi are both listed among the recipients of the settlement. You said Starza used some ability of mind control over Sora just before you dueled her."

"Yeah, I vaguely recall that," Sora admitted.

Rinny commented, "So… All of us here reading through Starza's notes and we can't figure out what's going on?"

Kusuma, still looking at the window, suggested in a dry tone, "Well, maybe you can ask Pegasus what he was planning. He's here."

* * *

_Can you feel the ramp up to the halfway climax? Bryan will finally duel Salman for the return of Uria, and the others will finally confront the man who invited them to participate in this course. What will happen if Bryan wins? What reason did Pegasus have for bringing this group together, and what did he have to do with the abounding psychic energy?  
_

_I hope the next half of the arc can be anywhere near so exciting. (Sometimes there's a limit to the number of characters I can develop fully.)  
_

_Credits:_  
_Darius Mantzios...tiramisu19_  
_Jason Maxim...Maxim and Knight_  
_Nathan Zislaw...Mavrik Zero_  
_Hillary Delaney...Nodqfan144_  
_Lili Von...Happy2BMe_  
_Carter Jade...Jaden2010  
Mitsuro Itachu & Sora Mikano...Titanic X  
Sean Bivins...DarkVestroia2_  
_Ivy Roaks...Mental Panda_  
_Hayley Wilson...TeamRocketDiva_  
_Maikeru Stone...onyxshade7  
Victor Rocks & Abel Shinzou...Iron-Arm-V_  
_Alister Kazama & Jessica Parks...ZaneKazama001_  
_Synthia Spencer...Madly Chessur_  
_Leila & Linear Lockhart & Azure Windwalker...Windraider__  
Logan Wilson...MercWithTheMouth13_  
_Allen Tebaro...Nouva17  
Tai Ishihara...ZAFT Prime  
Cain Valin...FE96jAFFAR_  
_Kusuma Megumi & Ringo Takagame...VStriker_  
_Rachel Avila...Amourenvie_  
_Starza's Magic: The Gathering deck...drake202_  
_Everyone else so far...YamiRuss_


	23. Darkness vs Darkness

Chapter 23: Darkness vs. Darkness

He'd had silver hair since adolescence. His eyes were dark and deep, as if they bore the knowledge of many lifetimes. His body was lean and fit, though his muscles struggled against gravity more than they did years earlier. He carried a cane in his left hand, and a small entourage of two men in suits shadowed him closely.

Maximilian Pegasus—the man who created the game of Duel Monsters, established the design company Industrial Illusions, and invited students across the country to attend a special session at the Thelemic Pantheon—had quite the welcome waiting when he entered the tower. Everyone gathered in the foyer and expressed a mix of awe at meeting the legend himself and anger at meeting the man who set up this massive Shadowfest.

"Greetings, student guests of mine," he spoke with a flamboyant tone. He held out his arm as if to extend a hand of invitation to all of them. "It is wonderful to meet you all in person."

Rinny's natural personality bubbled up past her annoyance, and she put on a big, girlish smile. "It's actually him," she giggled. She jumped forward and grabbed Pegasus' hand. "It's really nice to meet you."

"The pleasure is likewise," he assured her. To everyone, he spoke, "I apologize profusely for my delayed arrival. At my age, travel becomes a much more arduous task." He looked around and said, "I'd love to spend a few minutes getting to know each and every one of you, but may we do so inside the building? This foyer is a bit drafty with the door open."

Mitsuro pushed everyone back. "Of course." She looked around for an appropriate room and settled on the nearest lecture room. "Let's go in here and sit down."

"Actually," Pegasus objected, "I see we are missing quite a few students. Perhaps we can have them join us?"

Sora made a face of annoyance. "Well, _you're_ the one who made this tower so that only certain rooms can go up. Where do you think everyone else is?"

"And many of you learned the way down. So why have the others not join you?"

Darius found some difficulty understanding Pegasus when he spoke, but when Mitsuro repeated the question for him, he offered the answer, "The duels of late have been Shadow Games. The winner suffers great exhaustion, but the loser is set in a comatose state. They must still be on bedposts."

"Bed rest," Mitsuro quickly corrected him.

"Of course," Pegasus said with a nod. He glanced briefly at his cohort. One man was slightly shorter, wore dark glasses and a black suit, and had dark hair. The other was taller, had silver hair to match Pegasus', and wore a black jacket with gold buttons. "I suspected that may happen. Perhaps we should go up and meet with them. We will take the central elevator to the fourth floor and locate Hillary and Rachel, and then we will go to the fifth floor for Numbers and Elaine." As he spoke, he led everyone to the central elevator located in a narrow alley between the two dorm rooms nearest the foyer.

"How did you know where everyone is?" Kusuma questioned.

"There is very little inside this tower to surprise me," Pegasus answered as he unlocked the control panel and called the elevator to the ground floor. With a glance to his silver-haired companion, he said, "Gekko?"

As soon as the door slid open, a heavy, powerful, focused burst of Shadow energy emerged and swallowed everyone. Mitsuro and the others felt the energy rush past them, and each thought the Shadows were to consume them once more. But when the energy slowly faded, they looked up to see Pegasus' bodyguard standing in front of everyone and deflecting the Shadow energy with his palm. Azure was the source of the Shadow power—a failed attempt to assassinate Pegasus on sight—but now he struggled against his own power reflected back at him.

"I am sorry, Azure-boy. We will settle this later."

* * *

The sixth tier of the Thelemic Pantheon was different from the others. With the drastic decrease in floor space, only four rooms existed outside the dormitories, and all of them were empty save for blackboard space on the walls and an arena for dueling marked on the floor. Lucy felt it spooky to walk into a lecture hall without so much as a chair, but Bryan focused on the presence of Uria, Lord of Searing Flame beside the blackboard.

"I am pleased to you decided to attend this evening class," Salman spoke from his position on one side of the dueling field. He was armed with a Duel Disk for the first time during the course of the two-week stay.

"I want my god back," Bryan told him.

"The card is yours, but the god is mine."

Lucy was confused. "What does that mean?" She learned long ago that a piece of the Shadow Realm was sealed inside the god cards. It was that piece of the Shadows that gave the god cards their power and brought danger alongside them. All rumors surrounding the cards stemmed from that power.

But what was Salman saying about the god?

Salman engaged his Duel Disk, prompting Bryan to do the same as the two squared off on opposite ends of the field. Both men drew their opening hands in preparation for the ancient ritual.

"Isn't this where you divulge your grand scheme?" Bryan goaded.

Salman merely smirked at the suggestion. "Do you truly wish to know?"

"Of course!" Lucy exclaimed. "Tell us why you took the time to set up this enormous farce!"

"Let me guess," Bryan said, his fierce gaze still fixed on his opponent. "This world is full of wickedness and chaos, and the only way to purify it is to enable god's return to earth and initiate the rapture."

Salman began to chuckle. And the chuckle grew stronger and wilder until it was hysterical laughter. "I do not care about the state of the world. People hold no meaning in my heart. I only wish to bring the Shadow Lord directly into this world."

Lucy gasped at his words and found herself suddenly breathless.

"That's right. There is a distinct entity within the Shadow Realm, and he wields the power of the entire Shadow Realm. The seals on Death, Famine, Pestilence, and War have been broken. All that remains is a human sacrifice to the Shadow Realm and then the true god of darkness will emerge in this world."

"I am no sacrifice," Bryan assured him. He placed two cards on the field facedown. "I'll begin with Elemental Hero Prisma (4/1700/1000)." The reflective body of a crystalline man appeared on the field and stepped in front of Bryan as if to guard him from anything Salman would try.

"Then let us duel."

* * *

With Pegasus out front, side by side with his associate Gekko, the group of students walked around the fourth floor hall toward Hillary's room. She emerged from her room on her own power as they approached.

"Hey, guys," she said with a smile of relief on her face. Immediately her attention moved to the Duel Monsters creator who approached. "Mr. Pegasus?"

"Good evening, Hillary. You look well. I take it you were victorious against Rachel?"

"I was," she answered hesitantly, confused by how much he knew.

"I am very pleased to hear that. I enjoy it when a plan works." Shaking her hand and patting her shoulder, he said, "Excuse me for just a moment. I wish to check on Rachel."

"Oh. She was unconscious last I saw," Hillary informed him.

"As I expected," he replied. As he walked, he motioned toward Mitsuro with his free hand. "Will you please come with me, Mitsuro?"

"Me?" She stepped in front of the group and even moved in front of the bodyguard. "What can I do?"

"Come with me in here and I will show you." Gekko opened the door for him and allowed Pegasus to enter first, followed closely by Mitsuro while the others waited in the doorway.

Rachel lay motionlessly on top of the bed, seemingly peaceful if her face weren't contorted in pain. It was a familiar expression; eighty percent of the student body of Duel Academy suffered a similar affliction eighteen months earlier.

"Come here," Pegasus beckoned at Rachel's head. Mitsuro stepped next to him and he reached for both her Duel Disk arm, directing it overtop of Rachel's head. As soon as her fingers touched Rachel's forehead, a golden light burst from her deck. Mitsuro's natural reaction was to pull away, but Pegasus held her in place. "It's okay. Just a little longer."

The light spread from Mitsuro's arm, and she felt the same warmth she felt each time she used her card Divine Liberation Strike. Slowly, the look of pain on Rachel's face faded, and then her eyes opened. It was the same as that time Mitsuro's card removed the influence of the Shadows from Sora.

"And like that, light banishes Shadow," Pegasus spoke. He looked Mitsuro in the eye and told her, "It is for this very ability that I brought you here."

Rachel's hypnopompic state concerned her at first with hallucinations of Maximilian Pegasus watching her sleep. Imagine her surprise to find out he was real, and he was so much older-looking without the camera magic hiding his wrinkles and age lines. Her self-consciousness rose tremendously when she saw everyone else standing at the doorway, looking in.

"What's going on?" she asked.

"That is a perfectly understandable question," Pegasus assured her. "However, we should ascend one more floor to rejoin Numbers and Elaine before we go too far just yet."

"Wait," Mitsuro insisted. "You just came in here and started taking control of the situation, but you haven't really answered anything. This has been just about the most dangerous two weeks of my life. All our lives. We deserve to know some answers now, I think!"

"She's right," Kusuma said. "Will you at least tell us why we're all here? How are you involved?"

It was clear Pegasus didn't want to answer. He hesitated, but a reassuring nod from Gekko reminded him that a man his age in his position shouldn't be afraid to take responsibility for his life's actions.

"Sadly, my involvement in this fiasco is of the greatest proportion. I am the one who fanned the flames that created the Shadows in this region as a result of my own greed and denial of reality. In an effort to become a god, I created great evil."

He took in a deep, labored breath and looked to the students with a solid gaze. "As you wish, I will tell you how this began."

* * *

Salman reacted to Elemental Hero Prisma (1700) by summoning Furyborn Hellkite (4/1800/800); a red dragon reared up on its haunches as it burst onto the field as if rising from underground. The dragon ferociously eyed Bryan's Hero as if it were dinner.

"Stand back, Lucy," Bryan requested. "This will become a Shadow Game quickly, and I don't want you to get caught in it."

"I'm here to support you," she said, holding onto his arm. "I can't leave your side. This guy is pure evil."

"You can support me from a safe distance," Bryan said with a little push. "This is between me and him. I won't let anything happen to you."

"Let her stay if she wants to," Salman suggested. "The more the merrier when the Shadows are involved."

Bryan gritted his teeth and barked at Salman, "You will not touch her!" As he growled, a wave of darkness shoved Salman and forced him to take a step back.

Salman smiled and began to laugh. "So that's where your power came from." His laughter welled up even bigger, which Bryan misinterpreted as a threat against Lucy. She was going to get caught up in this if she stayed.

"Bryan, you…"

"I'm going to be the King of Games," he reminded her. "Nothing he can do will stop me. I'm the only hope against this god of the Shadow Realm."

Unfortunately, Lucy was pretty sure he was right about that. Bryan was far from perfect, but he always managed to rise to the occasion when a truly dangerous enemy appeared. What worried her this time is that Bryan wasn't the same man he was when the Shadow Realm last threatened Duel Academy. His own darkness grew stronger each time he won a duel. What would happen to him if he won this duel?

Or worse… What would happen if he lost?

* * *

Darius and Kusuma brought an armchair from the sitting room near the dorms to Rachel's room—something more comfortable for Pegasus' aging frame. He took a moment in the chair to get comfortable before he began to speak to his gathered audience.

"A person's motivation for life varies across time and circumstance, but one theme common through culture and popular song is love. Every individual wants to be with someone, but it is truly a rare and miraculous scenario when one truly falls in love. When I was seventeen, the love of my life perished very suddenly through disease. I was distraught. My passions all faded from my grasp. I saw no reason in art and lost my ability to paint.

"In my never-ending search for a way to rediscover my passion and find my art once again, I ended up in Egypt following stories of necromancy and a brilliant afterlife. Upon sneaking into a tomb, I chanced upon an ancient ritual being practiced in the modern day. Another tomb raider was captured and subjected to an agonizing death right before my eyes, yet there was no murderer present; the man simply perished under the veil of some type of magic that was yet invisible to me.

"The architects of the ritual discovered my presence and subjected me to the same display. It was then I learned the details of the ritual. The Egyptian provided me with a golden artifact called the Millennium Eye. While I was restrained, he removed my left eye and replaced it with the Millennium Eye.

"Initially, the pain of having my eye torn from its socket was all I thought of. But very quickly, the sheer volume of power sealed within the Egyptian item made itself known to me. It forced its way through my body like a rapid cancer, devastating me from the inside. My physical pain reflected my emotional torment, and in that moment, I thought only of death to give me respite from the burden of my life. It would be a welcome blessing to escape the pain and rejoin my sweet Cecilia at the same time.

"Eventually, my vision blurred, and suddenly I was able to see beyond this realm into a higher plane of existence. My precious Cecilia revealed herself to me once more, beckoning me to join her. But I could not exit this plane, nor was I aware how to invite her to this one. It was clear in that time that joining her was impossible unless I managed to become a master of the magic held within my Millennium Eye. To satisfy my longing while I learned to control the magic, I sought to take over Kaiba Corp. and use their Solid Vision system in order to summon a perfect image of my dearly beloved. But that takeover attempt fell quickly at the hands of the very first King of Games.

"I lamented my weakness, especially after the Millennium Eye was stolen from me by a shadow user with great control over the darkness. I was inspired by the way he controlled the magic, but I could not retaliate—not without the power to fight back. I withdrew from the public eye and buried myself in research. I just knew there must be a way for me to obtain that power again.

"But the power of the Millennium Eye was not enough on its own. I needed all the physical vessels of the Shadow Realm, or at least as many as I could find. Despite having painted them myself, all of the god cards were well beyond my reach by then. But following stories of a terrific battle over the fate of the past and future, the Millennium Items were unguarded once more.

"I procured them for myself only to find their power was immensely drained. The final battle left them as mere golden relics. Yet they retained a sliver of their original power—something of a residual energy still connecting them to the Shadow Realm. I knew that power could grow again if I only found the way to do so."

Pegasus paused, and his gaze drifted downward as he closed his eyes. He tried to block out a series of unpleasant memories attached to his story. He began breathing deeply to catch up to himself—so long that Sora worried he might be about to die before he finished.

"So how did that come to involve us, old man?"

Pegasus looked up again, still struggling with what he had to say but with a lifetime of practice dealing with his pain.

"And I found that way to cultivate the Shadow Realm within the relics, but at a high cost. The Shadow Realm is a higher plane of existence that maintains its dominance over this realm through the manipulation and consumption of human souls. With my heart too heavy from dejection to concern myself with ethics, I obtained a sample of fifteen youth to foster the growth of the Shadows; each was too young to form solid memories of the event. The ritual itself was relatively simple in theory: By providing each youth with a Millennium Item and then activating its power, the Item would move into the youth's soul, spread rapidly, and then the ritual would force the power back into the Millennium Item. Sadly, my soul was too aged and weak to complete the ritual myself. Youthful spirits are much more resilient, and I thought their recovery would be flawless.

"Needless to say, I failed. None of the children showed any signs of Shadow magic until one of them produced such quantities as to short circuit all of the equipment in my lab. At first, I worried the child might perish and the Shadow power would be lost to me forever, and that concern grew into real fear over the possibility of my impending death. But a miracle presentation of the power that child absorbed saved his life and potentially the lives of everyone in the lab.

"The experience provided me with a new vision of my dear Cecilia. She spoke to me that she was not ready to reunite with me and assured me that my fear meant I was not ready to reunite with her. That brush with death prompted me to abandon the project and toss my previous goals aside. I returned the children to their homes along with monetary payment for their involvement in my research. I returned to my art with renewed inspiration, certain that my research was behind me."

Rinny shook her head disbelievingly. "So much for that hope."

Pegasus agreed with her sentiment. "Fate, it seems, enjoyed flaunting my failures in my face. Only a few years later, those very same children were making names for themselves in their various fields of interest. Their expertise ranged from physical contests to shows of knowledge, yet all carried reputations with the card game I created. Despite having no memory of the Shadow experiment, each child was drawn to Duel Monsters just as the Shadows are. It seemed too much for coincidence. I researched every one of them—their records, their victories, their cards. The rumors circling them pointed to supernatural capacities that rang familiar with my knowledge of the Millennium Items.

"Sora Mikano absorbed the power of the Millennium Eye, the item I myself previously owned. It is that magic that gives him the ability to hear one's thoughts as if that person were speaking them aloud.

"Rachel Avila absorbed the power of the Millennium Ankh. The Ankh could view and manipulate someone's personality and emotions, in essence granting the ability to brainwash another person.

"Kusuma Megumi and Ringo Takagame were both presented with the Millennium Tauk, and it seems each absorbed its power and manifested it in different ways. Whereas Ringo can now see the future in brief, dream-like visions, Kusuma can divine both the future and the spiritual state of the present through interpretations of salt cast into the air.

"Elaine Bouldin inherited a fragment of power from the Millennium Ring. While the Ring initially possessed only the power to define the location of anything the bearer desired—a magical compass, of sorts—it grew over time and almost gave its user any capability that proved useful at the time. In Elaine's case, it gave her the ability to stop time—allowing her to define a state she desires and offering her the time to make it so."

Kusuma asked him, "What are Starza's and Salman's abilities? They seem pretty closely related to us."

Before Pegasus could begin to answer, Mitsuro pointed out, "You also claimed to obtain fifteen youth for your experiment. Does that mean there are others out there with the same capabilities?"

"There are not," Pegasus assured her. "The Shadows never took to the others, as I suspected might be the case when the project began. Hence, I brought in additional resources."

"Okay," Mitsuro continued, "but what about the _youth_ part? Starza and Salman are a good ten years older than we are, so that would mean they were already old enough to form lasting memories at the time of your Shadow experiment."

"That is an astute observation," Pegasus admitted. "Their cases differed from my established plan. Starza Almasi numbered among my first subjects. She reacted brutally to the presence of the Millennium Rod. The process was torturous to her spirit, and even though she was lucky enough to survive, she showed no signs of Shadow manipulation until years later when she was caught in a fire. She developed the ability to assert her will upon others—almost mind control. It was Starza's brush with death that prompted me to seek younger, more resilient souls for my efforts."

"I definitely recognize that," Sora said. "I think she took control of me more than once. It left me with this feeling of blacking out for an extended period, but somehow images of what happened during those times seeped into my memory like a familiar scene you just can't quite remember."

Rinny said, "Yeah. I think I had one of those, too."

Pegasus nodded. "Starza was a student of archaeology with a great interest in ancient mythologies. When she heard about my experiment, she jumped at the opportunity. She was such a promising young mind, even if overly ambitious. She met with a number of likeminded individuals in school. I am impressed Mitsuro was able to defeat Starza in a Shadow Game, but the very fact that Salman has simply left her there concerns me.

"Salman Nagari may be the most dangerous of all. He was the very last test subject, but his case was outside of my request. A student of ancient rituals, he learned of the one I performed on children and sought the same power. Breaking into my lab, he initiated the ritual on himself, multiplying the power of the Millennium Scale within his body. All readouts provided by my equipment suggested he was dead for five minutes before he got up and walked out, killing two of my staff members on his way."

"He killed them? Was he armed?"

"The autopsy showed no physical signs of attack. Rather, their bodies showed signs of terror and excessive stress, and their hearts simply stopped beating."

"What kind of power can simply kill a man without touching him?"

"Bryan spent all week seeking a duel with Salman. Does he even stand a chance against the power of the Millennium Scale?"

"Bryan is also infected by the Shadow Realm, right? So that must mean he can fight back. But which Millennium Item gave him his power?"

"The darkness that now dwells within Bryan-boy's soul did not originate within the Shadow Realm. His power came from a different type of darkness altogether. That is the reason for which I invited him to participate in this curriculum. Salman's level of Shadow power exceeds even my own at the height of my venture into the Shadow Realm. Only a being of equivalent darkness can compete with that. This will truly be a battle of darkness versus darkness."

* * *

_I like this chapter and I hope it answers a few questions about how these psychic kids relate to the story, but now starts the hard part of tying together all the loose ends, including the big one. I have it in mind already; we'll have to see how well I can write it._

_I'd like to point out that Amourenvie gave my favorite type of review: questions answered and remaining about the story. As a writer, that tells me which parts of the story I've adeptly described, and it tells me what questions you have remaining. Considering I don't have anyone proofread the story, knowing your lingering questions is an effective way for me to make sure I answer everything that needs answering-that way I don't accidentally leave something out. Thanks!_

_Of course, thanks to tiramisu19 for pointing out a flaw in my previous duel (regarding Light and Darkness Dragon's twelve-part effect). Card effects sometimes slip my mind when I have upwards of six open windows at once. I appreciate the editing advice. Thanks again!_

_Titanic X brought to mind my first-ever thought about if this story were to have a theme song. I never considered a theme song for a written word. I'm not sure what a theme for this entire story should be, but if I had to give one to this chapter, it would likely be _Easier to Run_ by Linkin Park, dedicated to Pegasus' inability to move on after Cecilia's death. Songs are difficult for me because I care more about the music than the words (e.g., I don't really like _Easier to Run_, but the lyrics are pretty descriptive of Pegasus).  
_

_Credits:_  
_Darius Mantzios...tiramisu19_  
_Jason Maxim...Maxim and Knight_  
_Nathan Zislaw...Mavrik Zero_  
_Hillary Delaney...Nodqfan144_  
_Lili Von...Happy2BMe_  
_Carter Jade...Jaden2010  
Mitsuro Itachu & Sora Mikano...Titanic X  
Sean Bivins...DarkVestroia2_  
_Ivy Roaks...Mental Panda_  
_Hayley Wilson...TeamRocketDiva_  
_Maikeru Stone...onyxshade7  
Victor Rocks & Abel Shinzou...Iron-Arm-V_  
_Alister Kazama & Jessica Parks...ZaneKazama001_  
_Synthia Spencer...Madly Chessur_  
_Leila & Linear Lockhart & Azure Windwalker...Windraider__  
Logan Wilson...MercWithTheMouth13_  
_Allen Tebaro...Nouva17  
Tai Ishihara...ZAFT Prime  
Cain Valin...FE96jAFFAR_  
_Kusuma Megumi & Ringo Takagame...VStriker_  
_Rachel Avila...Amourenvie_  
_Starza's and Salman's Magic: The Gathering deck...drake202_  
_Everyone else so far...YamiRuss_


	24. Revelation

Chapter 24: Revelation

Salman reached out and sent his red dragon Furyborn Hellkite (1800) to attack Bryan's Elemental Hero Prisma (1700). The dragon reared up and collected its breath, finally spewing a stream of fire straight at Prisma's crystalline body, but the fire was big enough to engulf his Hero and strike Lucy.

"Mirror Gate," he countered immediately. A veritable funhouse of mirrors appeared on the field, surrounding both monsters and sending their reflections every which way. The fire bounced around repeatedly until the flame found Prisma and melted its body. But Bryan and Lucy weren't the ones standing behind Prisma; it stood on Salman's side of the field.

Bryan looked to Lucy and pleaded, "Go now. I can't duel effectively if I have to protect you."

She nodded slowly, physically resisting the request but emotionally struggling to abide. Finally she grabbed Bryan's forearm and pulled him down so she could kiss him. "Please come out of this the same way you go in."

"I'll be fine."

"Okay." Reluctant to leave his side but not wanting to be a hindrance, Lucy drifted backward outside the bounds of the dueling arena.

Salman chuckled. "You should have let her stay. Two sacrifices would have been even better than one. The Shadow Lord would love that."

Bryan sneered back at Salman. "Lucy has nothing to do with this. This is between us. I will allow no harm to come her way."

"That's probably a better idea. The Shadow Lord needs a queen." That subtle threat prompted another burst of power to emerge from Bryan's cards. "Good. Rage will fuel this duel. I'll set just one card." As soon as he placed his card down, Furyborn Hellkite emerged from the ground in front of him again, released from Bryan's side of the field.

Bryan 8000: Salman 8000 – 100 = 7900.

"Before you begin," Salman said after Bryan drew, "I'll play Molten Psyche." A fiery vision of himself appeared on the field like a ghost, bursting at the veins from molten lava. "We both discard our hands, and then we redraw the same number of cards." He pointed and added, "You will take 300 points of damage for each card drawn." Each player drew four new cards, and Bryan was pelted with eight balls of magma.

"I have no monsters," Bryan pointed out. "That means Evil Hero Infernal Prodigy (2/300/600) comes to my field instantly." Bryan's monster was a small, humanoid imp wearing green tights and a mask that gave him antennae the size of airplane tailfins.

"Quite the threatening little beastie," Salman mocked, "especially since Furyborn (+2400) gains 600 points when you take effect damage."

"You have a monster," Bryan said while ignoring his opponent's words. He found it much easier to do so when Lucy wasn't being threatened. She was still safe leaning against the back wall. "That means I can summon Evil Hero Malicious Edge (7/2600/1800) with a single Tribute." The imp on the field disappeared in preparation of a tall man wearing blue with spikes all over his body. His arms, legs, and waist had spikes strapped to them, his fists had spikes coming out of his knuckles, and his shoulders carried large, spiked wings.

"Devilish. The Shadow Lord will enjoy feasting on you."

"Malicious Edge will filet your dragon." His blue Hero teleported across the field and grabbed the red dragon's belly in a giant bear hug; only a moment later, all his spikes burst, infecting the dragon from the inside. The Hero teleported back to Bryan and sprouted new spikes. "That's it for my turn."

Bryan 8000 – 2400 = 5600: Salman 7900 – 200 = 7700.

Salman leered at Lucy, who looked understandably concerned for Bryan's fate. "Sorry, sweetie."

"You may _not_ talk to her!" Bryan commanded.

"I was just letting her know that we were going to behave while we were gone. And I thought I'd apologize for the fact that she won't get a chance to duel through the Pantheon. As soon as we're done here, the tournament will be over."

"What kind of threat is that?"

Salman's eyes began to glow, and Shadows poured out of his body. "We're going to enter a different kind of arena. The little lady is going to have to stay behind for a while." The arena transformed into a big, black box filled to the brim with Shadows, cut off from all sensation except for the two duelists and their cards. In reality, Bryan preferred this; Lucy was safer this way.

"What do you think?" Salman asked. He referred to the heavy, poisonous feeling of being in the Shadow Realm.

"It could use some color."

"You are a very funny man. You know what I do to funny men? I set one monster and activate Beacon of Creation." Nothing happened right away, but after Salman ended his turn and Bryan drew, a column of green energy appeared on the field. A small, green Insect Token (1/100/100) appeared on the field, shaped much like a grasshopper with big, red eyes. "During each Standby Phase, I get an Insect Token."

"I'll summon Evil Hero Infernal Gainer (4/1600/0)." This Hero wore red tights with dark bone armor outlining his body and giving him powerful claws and a tail. He wore a brown mantle pierced by tusk-sized bones from his back, and his mask was capped with two demonic horns. "I'll remove him from play to give Malicious Edge the ability to attack twice during the Battle Phase."

"Then this will be the time to introduce the rules of our Shadow Game," Salman claimed. "It's really quite simple. Every time one of us declares an attack, the other has the opportunity to inflict damage. Of course, the trick is whether the attack will be successful."

"Why?"

Salman grinned. He raised his right arm in front of him, and suddenly Bryan felt the floor beneath him become less stable, like standing on a board supported only by a single spring in the center of the underside. Bryan's saving grace, however, was his athleticism. Balance wasn't difficult for him to achieve with legs that size. Salman didn't appear to have any trouble staying upright either, unfortunately.

"Declare an attack," Salman challenged. "You will see how the scales react."

Bryan didn't hesitate. "Attack the Insect Token (100)."

Suddenly the space shifted. Bryan felt the floor beneath his feet sink. What really compounded the sensation was watching Salman's feet rise. Bryan's eyes now only meet Salman's waist, making the sight of his Hero hugging and bursting a grasshopper spectacularly odd.

"Curious what happened?" Salman asked.

"No. Attack again." Bryan's feet sank again and his eyes met Salman's shoes, but Malicious Edge (2600) teleported a second time and burst the spikes on his body inside Salman's facedown monster—a small dragon whose wings weren't even developed enough to slow a fall.

"Destroying Hellkite Hatchling (2/500/800) lets me summon Imperial Hellkite (5/1200/1500) to the field." This dragon had a gray body and the kind of attitude where it was difficult to see its eyes when it spent the whole time growling and baring its enormous teeth. But the second feature that took attention from its small eyes was the cape-like flair on its wings and tail, colored red and white and appearing very much like dramatic butterfly wings.

"When Malicious Edge attacks, even your defensive monsters take the damage," Bryan countered, not concerned for Salman's current height advantage. "My turn is over."

Bryan 5600 – 500 – 500 = 4600: Salman 7700 + 500 – 2500 + 500 – 1700 = 4500.

"You certainly evened the score for the moment," Salman recognized, "but as you can see, when the Shadow Game takes effect, it weighs the strength of our souls. It seems mine is much more focused and therefore lighter. By filling your heart with dozens of worries and spreading yourself every which way, you weigh down your soul and drag yourself closer to the infinite darkness."

"I will win this duel despite the effects of your Shadow Game."

"Oh, I don't think you will. You see, if you reach the bottom of the scale, regardless of your Life Points, your soul will be swallowed by the Shadows immediately."

"How much farther does it go?" Bryan demanded.

Hysterical laughter followed that question. "If you truly have the kind of power that can defeat me, you will be able to sense that answer for yourself." He cocked his head to the side and looked down snobbishly on Bryan. "Now, I believe it's my turn."

* * *

Pegasus was noticeably worried about the current situation in his tower. "Salman Nagari contacted Starza Almasi a short time after he began to develop symptoms of Shadow control. The two realized together they were inordinately powerful and formed an alliance. But I believe their current goal did not begin until college for them. The school they attended suffered a fire in the basement of a building where their secret society reportedly met. Evidence found in the room suggested a ritual of sorts, and it is my belief that they were contacted by an extradimensional entity. What I fail to understand is why Starza and Salman parted ways."

"She lost," Azure answered. He continued to eye Pegasus and his silver-haired bodyguard as if just waiting for an opening to strike. "After that, Salman saw her as a liability."

"Quite a frightening sentiment."

"What did you mean by extradimensional?" Sora asked, changing the course of the conversation. "Some kind of alternate reality?"

"Perhaps an alternate reality, perhaps the Shadow Realm, or perhaps something beyond our level of understanding."

"Maybe it was that god Salman mentioned," Rinny suggested. "The one your seals were supposed to unleash."

Rachel pointed out, "Isn't that god supposed to bring salvation to the world? Why is it a bad thing for Salman to bring out a god that can protect humanity?"

"'Saving' can mean a number of things," Pegasus answered. "This god may be one that offers advice for improving the longevity of humankind, but more likely it will be one that plots salvation as the elimination of humanity from the earth. Whether Salman understands the outcome or not is unknown to me, but I do not wish to see that eventuality come to pass. That is why I sent each and every specific invitation to you.

"I knew Darius would be capable of fending off Sora's telepathy because of his heritage; his capacity in a duel further made victory possible. Hillary's self-confidence carried her to victory despite Rachel's emotional interference. What little Shadow energy Kusuma and Ringo possess was enough to match Azure in confrontation. Numbers' ingenuity and intuition held out against Elaine's ability to stop time."

Sora snickered, "And Mitsuro's hardheadedness helped her beat Starza."

Mitsuro casually asked, "What's going to happen when Bryan duels Salman?" While she spoke, she whipped her fist out and cracked Sora's shoulder. "If there's a final seal inside Salman, will the god be summoned if Bryan wins? Or will the seal break if Bryan loses?"

"I do not know the answer to that. I only know the fate of our world may well rest upon the outcome of this duel."

* * *

Lucy almost couldn't bear to watch the duel. It felt like a lose-lose situation for Bryan. If he lost, he would definitely be banished to the Shadow Realm and the god Salman was trying to revive would be born into this world. But if he won, he could become completely consumed by his growing darkness.

The only way to take her mind off of it was to make a few adjustments to her class project. She knelt in the corner of the room and opened her binder to a picture of a warrior in white, drawn with the perspective that he was swinging his sword at the viewer. She thought about her inspiration for this card: He was a warrior with the power to cheat death and rely on his friends for help. Bryan escaped the Shadow Realm twice thanks to Matt, but when he felt like Matt abandoned him, he was caught instantly by the Ghost Duelist.

She scribbled a new name over the picture based on how she saw her love right now: Aspiring King Hope.

* * *

"My turn begins by sacrificing my Imperial Hellkite in order to summon Crimson Hellkite (5/2100/2000) without Tributes." A fiery dragon erupted onto the field in a crimson blaze, spreading fire with every step and every touch of the field. The dragon looked down to Bryan's monster and spewed two thick fireballs. "By discarding two cards, Crimson Hellkite reduces the power of your pitiful Malicious Edge (-600) by 2000. That will make an attack so much easier."

"Then let's balance the scales," Bryan taunted.

As Crimson Hellkite prepared a throat full of gas, Bryan felt himself fall farther by another level. Despite his challenge, the Shadows dropped him farther away from Salman. Crimson Hellkite's flame incinerated Malicious Edge without resistance.

"You are still too widely focused," Salman mocked him. "Saving the world is a noble aspiration, but it'll never happen the way you are now."

Bryan let out a long, slow, deep breath. Looking up with fierce determination in his eyes, he informed his opponent, "The problem isn't that my focus isn't narrow; it's that I'm focusing on the wrong subject. I was concerned for Lucy's safety when I shouldn't be." He pointed menacingly and declared, "I should be focused on defeating you and overwhelming this Shadow Game with my own power."

Salman scoffed with the slightest concern in his voice. "Just try it."

"I will. First…" His facedown card stood up on the field. "Hero Signal activates whenever a monster on my field is destroyed by battle. It lets me summon Elemental Hero Stratos (4/1800/300), and summoning him lets me move another copy of Malicious Edge to my hand." His muscular warrior wore a mechanical gyro on his back, granting him assisted flight. When he turned on the gyros, it pulled an additional card from Bryan's deck.

"Like I'm worried about that," He slapped one card facedown and made sure the Insect Token (1/100/100) created by his Beacon of Creation was in defense mode. "It's your turn, if you can see me well enough to make a move."

Bryan 4600 – 500 – 1500 = 2600: Salman 4500 + 500 = 5000.

"I don't need to see you to kill you. I'll play Dark Fusion to fuse from my hand Malicious Edge and Big Piece Golem." Two transparent monsters appeared in the air, drawn into an unseen vortex only to emerge a moment later as one combined creature—a humanoid demon with bat-like wings, protected by stone armor. "Want to see what Evil Hero Dark Gaia (8/+4700/0) can do?" Salman wasn't particularly interested, especially when Dark Gaia began to collect dark energy in his hand.

But then the scales began to shift. "Here we go."

This time, Bryan felt no difficulty with his stance. The ground pushed into him instead of pulling away like before. He caught Salman's baffled expression as the distance between them closed.

"It looks like I found my happy thought," Bryan mocked. He enjoyed watching Dark Gaia's catastrophic energy levels squeeze into Crimson Hellkite from a distance and cause the dragon to implode, as if it were pulled through an invisible black hole.

"I'll play Prismatic Ward," Salman uttered in disbelief. A prism appeared around Crimson Hellkite and reflected the light around it, reversing the effects of Dark Gaia's attack. "It negates the destruction of my monster and any Battle Damage."

"Fine. But whenever Dark Gaia attacks, all your defensive monsters switch to attack mode. Now Stratos (1800) will attack your Insect Token (100)." The blue warrior engaged the gyros on his back, took the sky, and buzzed Salman's field, squashing the small grasshopper on his way by.

Once again, the floor pushed into Bryan's feet and lifted him up toward Salman. Now they stood only one level apart.

"That ends my turn."

Bryan 2600 + 500 + 500 = 3600: Salman 5000 – 500 – 500 = 4000.

"You've still lost points," Bryan noted.

"That's because the duel doesn't affect the Shadow Game; the Shadow Game affects the duel." He was just lucky the effect of Prismatic Ward remained through the entire turn. "My turn." He drew his card as yet another Insect Token (100) appeared in defense mode.

"I'll Tribute both of my monsters in order to summon Steel Hellkite (8/2800/1500)." This Hellkite was a large, heavy dragon armored entirely by steel. "As long as he's on the field, all changes to attack and defense points are negated, and all monsters have the points they would have if they were in the Graveyard." As if Bryan couldn't do the math, he explained, "That means Dark Gaia (-0) returns to zero points." Confident that he now had control of the duel again, Salman sent his monster to attack.

This time, when the floor shifted beneath the duelists, Bryan and Salman matched at eye level again.

"How are you doing this?" Salman was simply bewildered. "How can you be a match for my spiritual strength?"

"I'm no match for you," Bryan argued. "I'm _stronger_." Not only that, Bryan felt the edge he was gaining. Just like playing any drinking game, this Shadow Game was one in which losing meant he would continue to lose. Salman was losing his composure, and that was making it harder for him to win a battle of will.

But still, the Steel Hellkite screeched through the sky, shattered Dark Gaia's stone armor, and ripped the Hero to shreds. "I'll set one card and end my turn."

Bryan 3600 + 500 – 2800 = 1300: Salman 4000 – 500 = 3500.

The power of Steel Hellkite was momentarily too much for Bryan, even when Evil Hero Infernal Gainer (0) returned to the field in defense mode. He switched Stratos (300) to defense mode and set one additional card.

"Running low on steam, I see," Salman taunted. He snapped his card from his deck and smiled. "I'll send both of my Insect Tokens to the Graveyard to summon Hellkite Overlord (10/3500/3000)." Filling the field with a body the size and composition of a volcano was a red dragon with a crest full of black spikes. The dragon's fierce gaze would have caused any lesser opponent to faint; as it roared, it spewed a consistent stream of fire that even the Shadows couldn't contain fully.

But Sakuretsu Armor could.

A spiky suit of armor covered his Evil Hero and resisted the fire as if it were the same consistency as the ocean's surface. And just as portions of the ocean would evaporate under heavy fire, the spiky armor heated and burst, leaving Infernal Gainer protected and Hellkite Overlord with a neck full of shrapnel. The massive Overlord keeled over, but its wounds sealed over very quickly.

"By removing three Hellkite monsters from play, Hellkite Overlord's destruction is negated." Despite the fact that Bryan now stood with his waist at Salman's eye level, Salman reminded him, "You'll have to deal with Hellkite Overlord for another turn."

Bryan 1300 + 500 = 1800: Salman 3500 – 500 = 3000.

"Done. I'll play Dark Calling." An evil, undead hand broke through the dirt from the Graveyard, holding Malicious Edge and Big-Piece Golem in the palm. The hand closed tightly around the two monsters, squeezing them to the point of fusion; when the hand opened again, Evil Hero Dark Gaia (8/+4700/0) stood on the field again.

"I'm ready this time," Salman challenged. "Attack me if you dare."

"Of course. That's the only way to kill you." First Infernal Gainer disappeared from the field, offering up his bone armor to bolster his fellow Hero's. Dark Gaia collected dark energy in his palm and similar waves of energy collected tightly around Hellkite Overlord (3500).

Salman glared confidently at Bryan, and yet Bryan felt the floor push him higher again. "You can't compete with my will. You thought seeking a god made you strong; seeking to crush my opponents makes me even stronger."

Dark Gaia's energy imploded with Hellkite Overlord, pulling the mighty dragon to two pieces at the center. It healed once more and returned itself to its former form, but with Infernal Gainer's ability, Dark Gaia obtained a second attack. With his second implosion of energy completed, the Hellkite Overlord disappeared eternally into a black hole.

Suddenly both duelists felt the scale quake violently. The air shifted around them, and even the senseless darkness, devoid of all sensation, suddenly felt incredibly cold and empty. Bryan felt the cold press into his core and fill him with the notion of isolation. At that moment, he could feel the presence of no one; his family, his friends, and his colleagues slipped from his memory as if they never existed.

"**The ritual is complete. A suitable temple has been found."**

Bryan and Salman both experienced the only sensation that reached into the Shadow Realm's space. A heavy, powerful presence entered into the space, and it felt like a heavy curtain pressing down on Bryan's shoulders. His stomach turned, his throat tightened, and he had difficulty breathing.

The Shadows between the two duelists began to take shape. A long form without a distinct shape at the bottom—as if the darkness were nothing more than a cape. The top of the form was a cowl connected to heavy spaulders; the cowl opened in the shape of a four-pointed star, revealing no details about the wearer except his mysterious nature. And the sheer size of the form was bigger than three of Bryan.

"Shadow Lord!" Salman shouted excitedly. "You came to save me!"

"**That's correct."** The voice sounded raspy and commanding, as if a bear tried to speak. It echoed through the space.

"I brought a spirit to sacrifice for you," Salman continued. "He's right there! He's strong, and you will delight in feasting on him!"

Bryan braced himself. If that Shadow being made a move, he would be ready to fight back.

"**I do not desire a feast,"** the Shadow Lord rasped. **"I desire only to enter your realm. To do that, I require a body. And yours…"** he spoke while pointing an intimidating finger at Salman, **"…is much too weak."**

The look of absolute terror on Salman's face when the scales tipped was one Bryan would never forget. The scale lifted Bryan to meet the level of the Shadow Lord, but Salman dropped deep into the infinite darkness below.

"**You are a more suitable host for a divine being."**

"I'll pass," Bryan said dismissively. According to his Life Point counter, he won the duel, and so he was ready for the Shadows to withdraw and leave him to the Thelemic Pantheon winner's circle.

"**Do not refuse me,"** the Shadow Lord beckoned. Sweetening the pot, he offered, **"I can give you power immeasurable. You will be as a god."**

Matt had the power of a god living inside him. Did he also complete some wicked ritual to summon a demon?

Before he even considered the Shadow Lord's offer, Bryan realized it sounded too good to be true. "No, I won't. You just said you needed my body. That means I'll fade into oblivion while you take over, doesn't it?"

The air itself rumbled with the Shadow Lord's frustration. **"Do not deny me, human."**

"Tough. You need a body and I'm not offering." He twisted his neck until the bone popped, and then he took a step back and crouched, assuming the position of a middle linebacker ready to blitz. "If you want in, you'll have to kill me first."

"**That can arranged!"**

The Shadow Lord's figure threw open the cape, yet revealed nothing as his body disappeared into the backdrop. What did become visible was a being more than thirty stories tall rising from a place farther below Bryan than he could see. Aside from tremendous stature, this being wore a brilliant black suit of armor, perfectly ornate and fitted in its design to impose a feeling of doom upon those who witness it. The shoulders were decorated by four protective crystals designed to guard the Shadow Lord's backside from ambush.

His face was ash-black without flaw, except possibly for the forearm-length horns protruding from his head and the powerful red light in place of his eyes. If size in this space were relative to power, Bryan's hesitance was completely warranted. He was merely a bug by comparison.

"What do you want with my world?" Bryan asked, trying to maintain his tough appearance.

"**Conquest."**

"You want to conquer? I don't think so."

The Shadow Lord reared back and let out a mighty bellow intended to paralyze Bryan in fear. Bryan felt his body weaken, though short of locking up. The Shadows were cycling around him quickly as if whipping up into a whirlwind. The Shadow Lord stared with those wicked red eyes, and then he reached out with his hand to grab Bryan and vanquish his soul.

But his hand couldn't make it that far. When his fingers touched Bryan's body, they began to wither and turn to ash.

"**My hand… How?"**

Bryan was unsure himself until he heard another voice speak. It was a male voice—gentle and soothing.

"_I looked and there before me was a pale horse! Its rider's name was Death, and Hades was following close behind him."_

The owner of the voice stepped through the Shadows and stopped directly behind Bryan. Placing his hand on Bryan's shoulder, Bryan felt the pain subside. The fear was still there, but now it did nothing more to affect him than grant him increased adrenaline and make him feel a thousand times stronger. Bryan recognized the spirit of the Ghost Duelist immediately.

"Shadow Lord," the Ghost spoke accusingly. "You were not the deity who made himself known to us on that day."

"**Your friends were weak. They wanted to believe in a god who offered salvation."**

"Yes, but the salvation you offer is that of the Shadow Realm. It will merge all the souls of Earth. No more individuality as we all join the collective consciousness of the Shadows." With a smirk, he asked, "How did you distinguish yourself?"

"**I **_**am**_** the Shadow Realm."**

The Ghost responded with a smirk, clearly disbelieving of the story. "I think you are just another lost soul infected by the Shadows. Powerful for certain, but you probably exist in an alternate universe—not in a higher plane. Am I correct?"

"**My power is absolute!"**

"Oh? Let us see what my Horseman of Death thinks of that."

Bryan stood tall and felt his power spread to his fingertips. A long, sleek pole appeared in his hand with a wickedly hooked blade on the end. He pulled the scythe over his head and rested it on his shoulder for a moment as if to challenge his opponent. Accepting the challenge, the Shadow Lord reached out with his massive fist and brought it down on top of Bryan with full force.

But when the fist was close enough to strike, Bryan whipped the scythe and jammed the blade into the Shadow Lord's wrist. The initial strike wounded the Shadow Lord, but then Bryan pulled the scythe through the fist and watched the entire hand turn to ash. The Shadow Lord reared back in pain, and so Bryan shot through the Shadows and began to take over the space. He caught the Shadow Lord in the belly and proceeded to run straight up his chest until the scythe had pierced the chin of the mighty deity.

"You may have been Lord of the Shadows," Bryan spoke as the entire deity turned to ash, "but I am Death, the one and true eternal darkness."

* * *

_A little bonus for being patient with last week's lack of update and because I'm feeling generous. It started out as a single, merged chapter with the previous, but its length and content encouraged me to split it. Now one chapter remains-my attempt to close the Thelemic Pantheon and tie up all the loose ends. (I'd appreciate any reviews pointing out your lingering questions. This entire mini-arc emerged relatively off the cuff, and so I might be missing some things at this point.)_

_In the final chapter, the biggest question on all of your minds will be answered: What was the point of the class project?  
Oh. Maybe Pegasus will also attempt to set things right-not only with the darkness he instilled within his students, but also the darkness placed in Bryan by the Ghost Duelist. But the priority is on the class project.  
_

_Credits:_  
_Darius Mantzios...tiramisu19_  
_Jason Maxim...Maxim and Knight_  
_Nathan Zislaw...Mavrik Zero_  
_Hillary Delaney...Nodqfan144_  
_Lili Von...Happy2BMe_  
_Carter Jade...Jaden2010  
Mitsuro Itachu & Sora Mikano...Titanic X  
Sean Bivins...DarkVestroia2_  
_Ivy Roaks...Mental Panda_  
_Hayley Wilson...TeamRocketDiva_  
_Maikeru Stone...onyxshade7  
Victor Rocks & Abel Shinzou...Iron-Arm-V_  
_Alister Kazama & Jessica Parks...ZaneKazama001_  
_Synthia Spencer...Madly Chessur_  
_Leila & Linear Lockhart & Azure Windwalker...Windraider__  
Logan Wilson...MercWithTheMouth13_  
_Allen Tebaro...Nouva17  
Tai Ishihara...ZAFT Prime  
Cain Valin...FE96jAFFAR_  
_Kusuma Megumi & Ringo Takagame...VStriker_  
_Rachel Avila...Amourenvie_  
_Starza's and Salman's Magic: The Gathering deck...drake202_  
_Everyone else so far...YamiRuss_


	25. The King of Duelist Kingdom

Chapter 25: The King of Duelist Kingdom

Lucy immediately perked up when the Shadows dissipated in the room. Bryan was still standing, looking taller and stronger than ever. She didn't even notice Salman lying on the floor with his body contorted. She was overcome with excitement that Bryan succeeded, and he didn't reek of darkness more than he did earlier.

"Bryan!" She got up and squeezed him tightly. "You're okay, right? It's all over? No more Shadow Realm?"

"No more Shadow Realm," he assured her. With his arm around her, he picked up Uria from the blackboard and stared at the card for a moment. It was difficult to remember the time when he thought he needed that card to prove his status. Now, even though he was the rightful possessor, he felt zero desire to place the card in his deck.

"What happened in the game?"

"Salman lost," Bryan answered. "That's all that matters."

"I guess that means the course is over. We go home tomorrow."

"We can't leave yet. There is still one more thing to do." He clenched a fist and let show only the most subtle grin Lucy ever saw from him. It was an almost unidentifiable expression, somewhere between pleasure and wickedness. "We have to see Pegasus."

Bryan looked down and stared deeply into Lucy's eyes. She had great depth in her eyes, and the color was flawless. She was, quite simply, the most beautiful woman in the world. Quite fitting for a rising emperor. He pulled her into a passionate kiss.

And that was when Lucy felt something wrong. Unsure exactly of the issue, she only knew that Bryan's essence was different. Something happened to him in the Shadows. It wasn't darkness she felt from him, but something stronger than that—something almost divine and eternal.

"Are you sure nothing happened during that game?"

The doors interrupted her as Pegasus and his bodyguards led the students from Duel Academy into the room. It didn't take much deduction to figure that Salman lost his Shadow Game against Bryan. He looked in even worse condition than Starza, who was too far gone for even Mitsuro and her Shadow-repelling card to save her.

"Pegasus," Bryan said with a clear tone of wickedness. "You missed your cue."

"I apologize for my tardiness," the creator said. "I can see you completed the tournament without me."

"Almost," Bryan replied. "It is impossible to complete this tournament without you." Interpreting his words as a threat, the silver-haired Gekko stepped in front of Pegasus to protect him. Bryan reacted poorly to the challenge. The intensity of his anger dripped off of him and set the air on fire. Gekko was immediately pushed to one knee; even Pegasus appeared shocked at how quickly Bryan's energy overpowered Gekko's.

Suddenly Bryan's energy withdrew and the air returned to normal. Immediately Darius and Mitsuro hurried to Lucy's side to make sure she was safe and healthy. Bryan ignored them and walked right past everyone toward the room's exit.

"There's no need to protect Pegasus from me now," he spoke to the bodyguards. "I think I will retire for the night. Tomorrow morning, we will finish this on the top floor of the Thelemic Pantheon." He had good reason; the windows in the room were virtually black as the sun had long since fallen past the horizon. He looked back at Lucy and said, "Please get some sleep, sweetie. Tomorrow we will begin our empire."

He took one step out the door and stopped himself abruptly. He stepped up to Pegasus and pulled a small pile of folded papers from his pocket. "Here's my project. Tonight may be the only chance you get to look through it. Tomorrow I plan to end your reputation as a Duel King." With that, he left the room and located his dorm room for the final night of his stay. Everyone else was left in awe.

Gekko was the first to speak. "I'm sorry, father. He's more powerful than I am right now."

"It's okay, Gekko," Pegasus told him. "His power comes from something greater. But I already have a way to stop it, I hope."

"You do?" Lucy asked hopefully. "Can you make him back to the way he was before? Back before he met the Ghost Duelist?"

"Ah, the rumored Ghost Duelist. I thought he was merely someone looking for extra excitement by breaking the rules and wandering the campus after curfew, but it seems he truly is someone quite dangerous. Is he the one who gave Bryan this power?"

Lucy put her hands to her head as if to fight off a massive headache. "I don't know. It doesn't make sense."

"It's okay," Mitsuro said and tried to calm her with a hug. In answer to the query, she said, "The Ghost Duelist changed a lot of people. He made them stronger somehow—just like the Shadow Realm seems to. Almost like they're given a battery life. They don't get tired and they never wear down because they use other energy instead of their own."

"That describes him perfectly," Lucy agreed, and then she quickly began to blush for reasons unknown to the others.

"Perhaps my team can find some information on this Ghost Duelist," Pegasus said. He looked to his second bodyguard, who then pulled out a cell phone and contacted another employee back at the island of Duelist Kingdom.

"In the meantime, I think it is best you all get some sleep." As an afterthought prompted by having Bryan's project in his hands, he informed the students, "Your projects were officially due this afternoon, but given the state of Salman's mind and my absence to this point, there was no one around to collect them from you."

"Really?" Rachel asked, startling Gekko after she inadvertently snuck up on him. "After all that talk about Bryan having superpowers, you want us to turn in our projects?"

Pegasus smiled. "It should be a load off your young minds to have no lingering concerns as you drift off to sleep."

Rachel just shrugged and said, "Whatever. I'll go get it." The other students expressed equal parts confusion as they trod off to retrieve their projects. All except Lucy, who had her project with her already.

"May I keep mine until the morning?" Lucy requested. "The way Bryan is right now… I don't think I'm going to get much sleep. If I keep working on this, it will give me something to think about other than how helpless I feel."

With a sympathetic nod, Pegasus told her, "I understand. At my age, sleep is difficult and the alternative is thinking about all the sins I've committed. Having your projects to read will get me through the night somewhat more peacefully."

"Then you're okay with that?"

"Actually, I will take your project now. Sleep is the best thing for you right now, but if you struggle with it, I have another way for you to spend your time."

* * *

The top tier of the tower was made of glass on the ceiling and the north wall. The skylight was a reward for a young duelist earning his or her way to the top of the class. Bryan basked in the dull rays of the morning sunlight with his Duel Disk ready while he awaited his nearly undefeated opponent.

Finally, as if cued by dramatic music, Maximilian Pegasus entered the room. But his appearance wasn't what Bryan expected. Pegasus was old, and his age showed. He wore a brilliant, burgundy overcoat—his iconic appearance from Duelist Kingdom, but despite his makeup, he walked with a poorly-hidden hunch and only managed to achieve his full height when he stopped walking and stood still. His unnamed bodyguard stood very close, likely not because of any kind of affection but as a support in the event Pegasus was unable to hold himself up anymore.

But the condition of his body did not remove the air of elegance and arrogance surrounding the Creator of Duel Monsters. He did not look like the kind of man who would lose to anyone.

"I have risen to the top of the class," Bryan pointed out. "I have been victorious in every duel during this course, a feat no one else likewise accomplished. With that achievement, I challenge you to a duel." He patted his Duel Disk. If this duel ended the way he needed it to, his role in this game would end. Pegasus was the only man in the dueling world who could make that happen.

"I'm sorry, Bryan-boy. I have grown old and you are as powerful an opponent as I've ever seen. I'm afraid my heart can't handle a duel against you."

"Then you forfeit my challenge?"

Pegasus chuckled in reply. "Don't fool yourself. I'd never turn over my title without a duel. I simply mean that I will use a proxy in this duel. Someone hand-selected to represent me." With a glance, Gekko stepped up to Bryan and held out his hand, requesting Bryan's deck to shuffle.

"Where's his Duel Disk?" Bryan asked.

"He's not your opponent," Pegasus clarified. "He's the judge. Here's your opponent."

Lucy walked somewhat reluctantly to the stage. "Hi, honey."

Bryan appeared baffled. "Lucy?"

"Of course," Pegasus explained. "She has a healthy supply of spiritual energy to combat you, her project was thoughtful and expansive, and she is the only remaining duelist according to the rules Salman set up for this little tournament. I find it only fitting that she represents me here and now. Does that bother you?"

With a stiff lip and a slow nod, Bryan decided, "That's fine. I'll still win."

Speaking flamboyantly as if announcing the duel to the world, Pegasus said. "Wonderful. Your challenge has been met. Let the game begin!"

Bryan immediately whipped his cards from his Duel Disk, locking Lucy out for the first turn. "The challenger goes first," Lucy agreed.

"I just want it more. And so does Elemental Hero Avian (3/1000/1000)." His winged hero dressed in green flew onto the field and held a threatening fist in front of Lucy.

She knew her boyfriend well enough to know he was finished with his turn, and she was fully aware that he was baiting her to attack. But she was willing to take it. "I'll summon Mythical Beast Cerberus (4/1400/1400)." To counter Bryan's bird boy, she summoned a two-headed beast with one head of a dog and one head of a lion. The beast's hair billowed in the air like blue flames. "Now it's time to power him up for one turn.

"I'll play Arcane Barrier." A large copper statue of a man wearing wizard's robes and wielding a rod appeared on the field in front of her. Her beast absorbed energy from the statue, and its claws grew bigger and sharper. "Now it's time to attack." Her two-headed Cerberus (+1900) pounced across the field and eviscerated the avian Hero. "I'll set a card and end my turn."

Bryan 8000 – 900 = 7100: Lucy 8000.

After drawing his card, Bryan pulled only a single card. "I'll summon Elemental Hero Wildheart (4/1500/1600)." This bare-chested Hero was the size of a soda machine and possessed the muscle definition of the Terminator. He wore on his back a cleaver as big as his body. "Wildheart is immune to Traps, so he's the perfect choice to attack Cerberus (-1400)." His Hero drew the cleaver into a battle-ready stance and dashed across the field preparing to swing.

"I know he's immune. That's why I set a Spell instead." A magnifying glass appeared in front of Wildheart, and then it flipped around and presented a shrunken image of the Hero, much like the reverse view of a telescope. "Shrink cuts Wildheart's (-750) power in half." Wildheart finished swinging his blade, but the attack did little more than shave Cerberus's fur; the beast counterattacked immediately by ripping into Bryan's Hero with both sets of teeth.

Bryan 7100 – 650 = 6450: Lucy 8000.

"You wouldn't be pulling any punches to make me look good, would you, sweetheart?"

"I never pull my punches," Bryan replied.

Pegasus suspected that defeating Bryan might alleviate the buildup of the Ghost Duelist's energy inside him. Lucy was the only possible opponent because Bryan would not hesitate to use every bit of his power to against any other opponent. But Lucy was pleased to see a look in his eyes that said he wanted her safe. She was confident that Bryan would be unwilling to bring any kind of dark energy into the duel as long as she was his opponent.

"Then your hand must really suck," she said with a grin. "I'll summon Crusader of Endymion (4/1900/1200)." Her new spellcaster was a man whose blue armor he wore didn't touch his skin, but rather held tightly to his magical aura. "With your field empty, this is a good time to attack with both." Cerberus lunged across the field and holographically bit into Bryan with both heads. The Crusader reached out and extended his aura into a lengthy, spiritual punch to Bryan's gut.

Bryan 6450 – 1400 – 1900 = 3150: Lucy 8000.

"That was the last time you hit me directly," Bryan promised her. "I'll play O – Oversoul to summon Avian (1000) back from the Graveyard in defense mode." His winged Hero sat on the field again, this time kneeling with his wings wrapped around him like a cocoon. "But he's just a sacrifice for Caius the Shadow Monarch (6/2400/1000)." The field was hit with a column of darkness that slowly parted to reveal a giant wearing black armor and a heavy cape. He held his hand together and began to charge a Dark Core. "His summoning means a monster on your field is removed from play." Caius propelled the Dark Core into Crusader of Endymion, absorbing the spellcaster into a black hole and removing it without a trace. "And now a simple attack." Caius brought his heavy down on top of the two-headed beast and crushed it. "That's all for now."

Bryan 3150: Lucy 8000 – 1000 = 7000.

Lucy beamed at him with a smile that said "I love you but one of these days I'm gonna knock you on your ass."

"I'll summon Silent Magician LV4 (4/1000/1000) and set a card." A young, female magician cloaked in blue and white appeared on the field, wielding a small wand with a spell counter on top.

"I'll play Dark Calling." An evil, undead hand broke through the dirt from the Graveyard, holding Avian and Wildheart in the palm. The hand closed tightly around the two monsters, squeezing them to the point of fusion; when the hand opened again, Evil Hero Wild Cyclone (8/1900/2300) stood on the field. He was a wildly muscular, barely dressed Hero with strong, leathery wings and feathered bases around his waist and mask.

Lucy accidentally let slip a look of concern. If Bryan was still summoning Evil Heroes, then the darkness within him was still very strong. But at least it wasn't overflowing like she thought it might. Pegasus suggested that, having overcome a power like the Shadow Lord, Bryan might try to turn his power of Death against his environment on a godly level. The goal was to keep Bryan's darkness at bay by pitting him against Lucy and forcing his love for her to take control: Surely he didn't want Lucy dead, too, right?

"Wild Cyclone will attack first."

Rejoining the duel, Lucy said, "I have another Quick-Play Spell for that."

"It doesn't matter," Bryan informed her. "When Wild Cyclone attacks, you can't activate any cards." His winged Hero produced sharp blades of wind as he flapped his wings; each stroke of wind created another cut clear through the Silent Magician's body. When the Magician fell apart and disappeared, Caius squashed Lucy directly with his open palm. "I'll set one card and end my turn."

Bryan 3150: Lucy 7000 – 900 – 2400 = 3700.

"Okay. Evil Heroes are bad," Lucy commented to herself, "but not unbeatable. I just need the right cards." She summoned a male spellcaster wearing purple magician's robes without sleeves. "When Apprentice Magician (2/400/800) is summoned, I get to put a Spell Counter on Arcane Barrier." Her statue at this point had three glowing rings pulsing around it. "I'll send Arcane Barrier and Apprentice Magician to the Graveyard to draw three new cards."

She smiled at her hand. "That's a little better. I'll activate Advanced Ritual Art." A green ring of magic appeared on the floor. An image of the Thousand-Eyes Idol—a green spud with one thousand eyes peering in all possible directions—appeared in the center of the ring as it erupted with energy. "By sending a normal monster to the Grave, I can Ritual Summon a monster you'll probably recognize from your DVD collection: Relinquished (1/0/0)." The green light turned pale and then faded completely, revealing a creature shaped much like the letter M. Its body tapered to a floating point, and its arms rose to high shoulders and dropped down to heavy, bladed claws. Its face was only a single eye—the Eye of Anubis—protruding from the top of its torso.

Bryan's gaze drifted momentarily to Pegasus. Every kid who ever really dreamed of being a duelist saw the footage of Duelist Kingdom, and they all knew that Relinquished was one of Pegasus's ace cards. Lucy knew he would recognize the card. It was Pegasus's contribution to her deck and true proof that she was his representative here.

The monster began to draw in energy from Bryan's side of the field through the hole in its chest. Doing so pulled Caius across the field and inside of the faceless monster. "Relinquished (+2400/1000) can absorb your monster and turn its power into his own." Pegasus's monster grew heavier and a cape just like Caius's draped over its back. Channeling energy from its absorbed prey, Relinquished's claws began to shimmer; the creature hovered across the field and thrust its arm all the way through Wild Cyclone (1900). "I'll set one card and end my turn."

Bryan 3150 – 500 = 2650: Lucy 3700.

"We're keeping this pretty close, aren't we?" Lucy asked him. "Either I've gotten better or you really are going easy on me."

"How's this for 'going easy'? I'll summon Elemental Hero Prisma (4/1700/1100)." The Hero with the reflective armor usually signaled Bryan was preparing a fusion, and he didn't disappoint. "By sending Evil Hero Malicious Edge to the Graveyard, Prisma essentially _becomes_ Malcious Edge." Prisma's armor turned blue and looked spiky, reflecting the image of a Hero not physically present. "I'll also play Premature Burial to revive Wild Cyclone (1900) from the Graveyard. Now Dark Fusion will combine Malicious Edge and Wild Cyclone into Evil Hero Malicious Fiend (8/3500/2100)." A tall, lanky man emerged from the yellow light. He had black boots and spaulders forged to be razor sharp, just like the eighteen-inch claws protruding from his wrists. "This is the strongest of the Evil Heroes."

"I believe it," Lucy replied. Despite his lack of bulk, the Hero was still intimidating—traded size for speed, probably. As soon as Bryan declared the attack, his monster moved quickly enough to be teleporting across the field. When he slowed enough to be visible again, his claws were all jammed into the body of Relinquished, piercing its absorptive belly.

But by destroying Caius while he was inside Relinquished, Bryan suffered the same blowback as Lucy.

"Relinquished is protected as long as it has a monster equipped," Lucy explained when her monster healed over its wound. "Only Caius is destroyed."

"I know. But I'm ready anyway. I'll set one card and end my turn."

Bryan 2650 – 800 – 1100 = 750: Lucy 3700 – 1100 = 2600.

"Really? Ready for Relinquished to grow stronger? 'Cause I'm gonna play Polymerization to fuse Relinquished with Thousand-Eyes Idol." The spud-like body of Thousand-Eyes Idol appeared next to the M-shaped body of Relinquished as they fused in a spatial vortex. The fusion turned Relinquished purple, gave it a tail, and produced a thousand eyes all over its body. Its primary eye altered into the Eye of Wdjat and its belly opened and lined with fangs. "You recognize this monster?"

"Yes."

She smiled at him. "You told me you always dreamed of facing this card in a duel. The strongest card ever played by the Creator of Duel Monsters. You think you can beat it?"

"Yes."

"Good. Let's find out. Restrict comes with the same effect as Relinquished: Your monster will surrender its power to mine." A focused stream of air pulled Malicious Edge across the field and into Restrict's (+3500/+2100) belly; the monster Lucy received from Pegasus immediately consumed the monster and absorbed its spirit. To demonstrate visually, Restrict sprouted six additional claws around its wrists and its shoulder armor sharpened immensely. "Are you ready?"

"I am." Bryan waited for Restrict to hover across the field and thrust its claws at him. The hologram paused as the Duel Disks waited for Bryan to decide if he wanted to activate one of his facedown cards. He pointed at the claws, almost pressing his fingertip against them, and asked, "Your monster treats my monster like an Equip Spell Card, doesn't it?"

"Maybe," Lucy said, feigning ignorance. "I'm not sure."

"You're adorable but a terrible liar. Mystical Space Typhoon will destroy my monster that's equipped to yours." A bolt of lightning struck Restrict and removed the essence of Malicious Fiend, returning Restrict (-0/-0) to its original form. "Now you're just attacking me with a pointless monster."

"So I am," Lucy admitted while her monster thrust at Bryan and missed. "I'll set one card and end my turn."

Bryan took in a sharp breath and slapped down the only card in his hand. "I'll summon Elemental Hero Clayman (4/800/2000)." Bryan's warrior was shaped like a barrel with two barrels for legs.

"Are you sure you summoned Clayman?" Lucy asked. With a child-like, suggestive tone, she asked, "Isn't that Clay Rakin'? Maybe Andre the Golem?"

"What are you talking about?"

Lucy sighed. "Oh, come on, honey. I haven't heard you nickname your cards in such a long time. Don't you remember how much fun you had with that? I always thought you were being childish, but you were so cute about it. Do it again. Please?"

"Why?"

"I just want to know you're still in there."

He crossed his arms over his chest and filled his lungs to make himself look as big as possible. "If I give Clayman a nickname, will you leave me alone about the Ghost Duelist?"

She believed that if Bryan got in touch with his former mindset again, his darkness might be quelled and he would return to normal. "I promise."

"Fine. Then I'll have The Rock, Clay Johnstone attack your purple monstrosity."

Lucy smiled brightly, celebrating her small victory. Now it was time to demonstrate her bigger victory. "Sorry, sweetie, but as long as Thousand-Eyes Restrict is on the field, no other monsters can attack. Even Clay Johnstone."

Bryan's expression turned sour. He forgot that Restrict's greatest ability was to prevent the movement of every other monster nearby. "I have no more cards, so I guess this duel is over."

"I think so." Restrict (+800/+2000) sucked up Clayman, bulked up significantly, and gained just enough points to deplete Bryan's Life Points. And just in case Bryan's facedown card was something dangerous, she had Dark Illusion to protect her monster. For the first time since his duel against Matt, Bryan was going to lose. Restrict hovered across the field and stopped just short of striking Bryan's Call of the Haunted.

"I'm reviving Evil Hero Malicious Edge (3500)."

Lucy scoffed, realizing she was just short of achieving her goal. If the duel dragged on another turn, Bryan might find a way to fight back. So far, he was keeping his darkness in check, but if he beat her—Pegasus by proxy—she worried for what could happen.

"Changing the monsters on the field triggers a Replay," she pointed out, "so obviously I'm not going to attack."

"I think you will," Bryan countered. His voice was sinister, yet somehow solemn. "Malicious Edge forces your monsters to attack." The Hero held his arms in front of him as if to invite an attack, and Restrict took the bait; it hovered across the field and thrust its claws toward the Hero's gut. The claws did not pierce the Hero's armor, however; Malicious Edge disappeared in a flash, reappeared behind Thousand-Eyes Restrict, and stabbed it straight through the back and head.

"You destroyed my monster," Lucy confessed. "That means the attack backfires on me." As she watched her Life Point meter fall, she looked up at Bryan. "But you also killed Clayman, and that means you take the same damage." She narrowed her gaze on him, waiting to see what would happen. "We both lose."

Bryan 750 – 2700 = 0: Lucy 2600 – 2700 = 0.

At first, nothing happened. Everyone just stared at the field as if expecting some big explosion of the Shadow Realm's rage. But that didn't happen. Malicious Edge turned pale green as the hologram faded. Bryan spaced out for a moment, unresponsive to Lucy's calls.

"Bryan-boy?" Pegasus asked.

"I'm okay," Bryan finally said. He disengaged his Duel Disk and took a single step toward Lucy when he collapsed into the fetal position. Lucy ran to him, but she felt repelled by Bryan's aura. Powerful, pale waves of light pulsed through the room, hitting each person like a gale of wind. The doors blew open and the windows stressed—one to the point of cracking—as everyone dropped to the floor or grabbed the furniture to brace against the air pressure.

What passed in two minutes felt like an eternity to Lucy. When she realized the air stopped pushing her back, she immediately called for a status update from everyone else and clambered to Bryan's side. Everyone else gave the all-clear, and Bryan was breathing on his own.

"Bryan! Are you okay?" she wept to him.

Bryan seemed to look straight through her. "It's gone. His spirit is completely gone."

"Who's gone?"

"The Ghost Duelist." He held his hand near his head and then spread his fingers as he raised his arm. "Like a veil lifted from me. Suddenly everything's clear again. That black haze that dulled everything before has broken."

Lucy wept in happiness to hear Bryan say those words. He was normal again.

"My role has ended," he stated finally.

Confused, she asked, "Wh… What do you mean?"

He looked at her with concern in his eyes. "I know who the Ghost Duelist is. We need to tell Matt right away."

* * *

"You asked to see me?" Lucy poked her head inside Pegasus's office on the first floor of the Thelemic Pantheon. Gekko stood near the window while the other bodyguard received Lucy at the door.

She felt odd being there, able to relax despite having just warned Matt via phone call about the Ghost Duelist and the safety of Duel Academy, but she couldn't do anything until the plane took her back to school. Besides, Matt assured her that he and Cary would be fine and get the staff to help them bring in the Ghost before anything bad happened. In the meantime, all Lucy could do was celebrate Bryan's return to normalcy and respond to Pegasus's summons.

"Of course," Pegasus said with a warm smile on his face. "Please come in." He seated her in what must have been the most comfortable chair she ever sat in—satin cushions proportioned perfectly to the contours in her back and legs—offered her a drink, and asked for her general state of being after that duel.

"I'm okay," she assured him. "You were right. Bryan didn't use any kind of dark magic against me."

"Had he dueled the way he might against a true rival, even I in my prime might have suffered defeat by him. Well, after the way he protected you from Salman, I knew his love for you was stronger than any desire for power. You represented my organization with grace, strength, and beauty Industrial Illusions had not seen in some time."

"Thank you," she accepted bashfully. She tried not to blush too much in front of one of her historical figures. "Did you ask me here just to see if I was alright?"

"Yes. But I also wished to discuss this." He placed Lucy's class project on his desk.

"Oh." Now her nerves tightened and she felt nauseous.

"Do not be concerned. I believe your idea is truly inspired."

"What?" She looked again at the page Pegasus had open—the image of a white warrior slashing at the reader. "You liked it?"

"Truly. First of all, your artwork is most impressive. And just as the project described, your idea is one that will alter the way duels are played. Stacking monsters of identical level in order to summon a stronger monster of the same level from the Extra Deck… How did you come up with this?"

Still in shock that her idea was accepted, Lucy said, "I just thought about how rare Tribute Summons can be given the popularity of Synchro Summons. I guess stacking them came from the idea that no man is an island; everyone needs support in order to achieve their goals." She pointed her thumb toward the door to someone who wasn't there: "Mitsuro suggested calling them Fleet Summons and marking them by Rank instead of by Level." She fidgeted in her seat, asking, "Are you sure it's good?"

Pegasus motioned to Gekko, who nodded. "This really could be the next, big wave of monsters."

"I most certainly agree," Pegasus said. "That is why I would like to purchase your idea and put it into production."

He may as well have punched her the way she found herself suddenly unable to breathe. "You mean, turn my pictures into real cards?"

Amused by her humility, he smiled back and said, "Yes. I may make a few changes to the terminology, but the idea is perfectly designed. And my purchase request does not extend only to monetary exchange; I wish to offer you a job."

"A job? Doing what?"

As soon as she asked, she knew it was a stupid question: It was just what slipped out. Fortunately for her ego, Pegasus avoided making the kinds of sarcastic and facetious remarks Bryan would have.

"One of my organization's card designers is retiring soon. Your project has shown me that you have great promise, and I would like to prove it by hiring you. Not immediately, of course. You will graduate this spring, yes? I will be present at the ceremony and will extend you a more formal offer."

"Thank you," was all she could think to say.

Pegasus smiled, confident that he discovered a true gem among the students in the course. A young woman with her intelligence and artistic flair would make a grand addition to Industrial Illusions. And as he continued to age, a woman like her might even become the new face of the organization.

"Now to conclude present business regarding these Fleet Monsters…"

* * *

As a way to celebrate the successful—everything is relative considering Pegasus's history—completion of the duel history course at the Thelemic Pantheon, Maximilian Pegasus awarded Bryan with a wave of new cards, Lucy with a job offer, the others with college credit, and everyone with a grand lunch in Santa Barbara. The restaurant he selected was a café called Syrianni's. Their claim to fame was the posting of notes and messages left by their customers… all over the place.

The café was fairly small, basically a hole-in-the-wall place. But upon walking in, one could see hand-written notes all over the walls, held in place by a thin, glass plate that stretched from floor to ceiling. Every table had the same setup, with a layer of glass on the tabletops to display even more messages from the customers. Most of the students gathered around the table trying to come up with a saying so great everyone who ever entered the establishment would remember it.

Darius opened the floor with the suggestion: "'Success should not go to the head and failure should not go to the heart.' It is an old Tamil proverb my mother used to tell me."

"No, they've got to be funny," Sora argued. "Something more like, 'On the other hand, you have more fingers.'"

"What about this one?" Bryan suggested and handed a card to Lucy.

She read it with confusion in her tone: "'My thighs are hot for goat felons?' I don't even get it." Then a look of realization crossed her face. "Oh. That's from that Canadian sitcom you made me watch."

"Ignore him," Mitsuro urged her. "Tell them about your project and how it made Pegasus offer you a job designing Duel Monsters cards."

Numbers already heard the story. Instead of joining in the conversation, she decided to check in on the eldest member of the class. Elaine sat at the bar drinking something that may have looked coffee-based, but it sure smelled alcohol-based.

"You're drinking?"

Elaine retorted, "I'm twenty-one."

"So am I, but I don't get airsick."

"How did you know that?"

"I saw you pop a couple of motion sickness pills before drinking that. Isn't that a formula for a coma?"

"Unconsciousness makes it easier to deal with flying." She seemed particularly curt, even for her. Numbers wasn't sure how to probe for more information except to narrow her eyes and stare, which understandably bothered Elaine. "What's the problem?"

"I heard Pegasus is offering all of you a chance to get rid of your Shadow powers."

Elaine scoffed and took another swig of her drink. "Who would want to get rid of a power like this? I can do anything I want."

"Then why do you seem so miserable?" That drew nothing but silence from Elaine. "I hear Rachel is considering it."

"I hear she's on the fence. She likes the ability to influence people around her."

"Her ability requires nonstop focus." Elaine reacted almost as if Numbers were providing her new information, although she already heard this before: "When she relaxes, she becomes more susceptible to other people's emotions. She's like an emotional chameleon at the mercy of her surroundings. Other people can literally make her unhappy unless she stays alert at all times. That's a hell of a burden."

Elaine scoffed and took another sip. "Power always brings a dark side."

Out of curiosity, Numbers asked, "Are you suffering any kind of health issues from it?"

"Nothing you need to worry about. Now leave me alone."

Numbers just watched her for a moment—short enough not to be annoying but just long enough to make sure Elaine knew she was concerned. "Okay. But if you ever need a friend…" She dropped a scrap of paper with her cell phone number and bumped her fist against Elaine's shoulder before walking back to join the others.

With a laugh, Darius said, "I still believe Bryan's dueling motorcycle to be a bad idea without developing some major safety devices."

"Like an airbag that deploys around the entire bike on impact," Hillary suggested. "Or else an auto pilot kind of thing."

"Kusu's idea was similar," Rinny said. Nudging him with way more excitement than he cared for, she repeated, "Tell them about it. Tell them!"

"It's not that good," he said humbly.

"Problem solved," Sora decided. "Don't tell us."

"Ignore him," Mitsuro said. "You had the second-highest grade. It had to be worth something."

Kusuma shrugged. "It was just an idea for a different kind of Duel Disk projection. Basically, the plan was that instead of having the Duel Disk launch its own portable hologram projectors with limited scope and position, the duelists could wear special glasses that respond to signals from the Duel Disk and create the images of cards and their effects directly in view."

Bryan's eyes popped wide open. "That sounds awesome!"

"What's the benefit to that change?" Hillary questioned.

"Well, Duel Disk projectors generally stop short of the duelist, so direct attacks always disappear before they actually hit. This could make those attacks seem realer; plus, I thought it would be cool to witness the landscape destroyed by certain card effects. Say a Blue-Eyes White Dragon attacks and actually leaves behind a pile of rubble and a bunch of scorch marks on the ground."

"That's a great idea," Sora said. "You just need to advance holographic technology about a hundred years to make it work."

"Do not be such a bee killer," Darius requested. That one took everyone a moment to figure out.

"_Buzz_ kill or not," Mitsuro said, "Pegasus told Kusuma he should submit the idea to Kaiba Corp. Obviously he thinks it has potential, and I'd wager hologram technology is a lot farther along than you think it is. Maybe we're not that far off."

"What do you think of this one?" Bryan asked, sliding over another message card. "Is it pithy enough?"

Lucy turned to him and prepared her skeptical face in case Bryan put swear words on this one. She leaned in close to him and read his awkward handwriting: 'Will you marry me?' Her skeptical face gave way to her speechless face as she raised her eyes to meet Bryan's. She couldn't figure out what to say until she knew if there was a punch line.

"If that's a joke, I don't get it," Darius said half-seriously.

"You should meet her dad," Bryan said as he tossed his phone on the table. Lucy snatched it up and read the text message on the screen. It was from her dad and the message read: 'If thats a joke, idgi.'

"What's idgi?" Rinny asked.

"Probably 'I don't get it,'" Lucy answered. "My dad hasn't fully grasped text speak. Sometimes he just takes the first letter of every word in a sentence and turns it into an abbreviation." She pressed a few buttons to look for more correspondence, but she saw no other messages on the same topic.

"He just sent that to be funny," Bryan explained. "I called him directly while Pegasus was distracting you with project talk. Your dad doesn't give a crap about my education, but he made me promise we wouldn't get married before _you_ graduate. And now that you've got a job with Industrial Illusions lined up, it seems like I don't need to finish school."

Lucy smiled at his amusing banter, but she was still uncertain given his personality. The very first time she met him, he was flirting like nobody's business with her roommate. He left her once to date a motorcycle chick. He had stories of about a thousand girlfriends from high school.

"Is this for real?" she asked him softly.

"You tell me." He produced from his pocket a small jewelry box. He held it in his palm and encouraged her to open it. Inside rested a ring: a gold band split into two in the front showcasing sixteen diamonds; one trillion cut garnet sat in the middle, each corner marked by a gold arc with a gold circle in the center.

"Oh, my god," she uttered. "Is that a Spell Counter?"

Bryan replied with only a big grin.

"You… are such a nerd," she told him, tears in her eyes. She placed her hand on his chest as she kissed him. Hillary gasped and placed her hand over her mouth while Numbers "awwed" at them. Lucy chuckled at them, but she returned her gaze to her nerd-in-jock's-clothing.

"You love nerds, right?"

"I love _you_," she specified. She took another business card and scribbled on it in bubbly writing. She slid it over to Bryan so he could read it: 'Yes.'

* * *

_I hope you like the way that ended. A few minor things I left in the air in case I decide I want to bring it up again later, but I think just about everything is settled. Now let's head back in time and how Duel Academy fared during these past two weeks._

_I'm going to take a brief hiatus. This feels like a good place for my "summer finale" of sorts; I'll come back to it soon, but I have another story I want to work on for a little while. Check it out if your interests go beyond _Yu-Gi-Oh!_ Otherwise, look for the next update in a couple of months.  
_

_Credits:_  
_Darius Mantzios...tiramisu19_  
_Jason Maxim...Maxim and Knight_  
_Nathan Zislaw...Mavrik Zero_  
_Hillary Delaney...Nodqfan144_  
_Lili Von...Happy2BMe_  
_Carter Jade...Jaden2010  
Mitsuro Itachu & Sora Mikano...Titanic X  
Sean Bivins...DarkVestroia2_  
_Ivy Roaks...Mental Panda_  
_Hayley Wilson...TeamRocketDiva_  
_Maikeru Stone...onyxshade7  
Victor Rocks & Abel Shinzou...Iron-Arm-V_  
_Alister Kazama & Jessica Parks...ZaneKazama001_  
_Synthia Spencer...Madly Chessur_  
_Leila & Linear Lockhart & Azure Windwalker...Windraider__  
Logan Wilson...MercWithTheMouth13_  
_Allen Tebaro...Nouva17  
Tai Ishihara...ZAFT Prime  
Cain Valin...FE96jAFFAR_  
_Kusuma Megumi & Ringo Takagame...VStriker_  
_Rachel Avila...Amourenvie_  
_Starza's and Salman's Magic: The Gathering deck...drake202_  
_Everyone else so far...YamiRuss_


	26. Two Weeks Ago

Chapter 26: Two Weeks Ago…

Charlie stepped into the boss's office despite the 'Do Not Disturb' sign that always adorned the outside of the door. The boss was hard at working, scribbling away as he transcribed every note of progress that popped into his almost computer-like brain.

"Mr. Kaiba, sir. Your ten o'clock is here."

"Fine," grumbled the aged voice of a man with more power than most even dream of. "Send him in."

The legendary Seto Kaiba was renowned for his ruthlessness and business savvy. After an upbringing of rigorous study programs, he had the skills and knowledge to take control of the Kaiba Corporation at sixteen. More than sixty years later, he still played the crucial role of CEO as if he were in his prime.

His signature scowl was how he greeted all his visitors, especially those dressed in opulent silk suits with enough mauve to give a small child a seizure. Joseph Titus, age twenty-six, felt that a purple suit gave him a gimmick to draw attention to his own fledgling company. Having come into money the old-fashioned way—his filthy-rich parents died and left it to him—he wanted to supplement the income he earned from his coffee enterprises with the profits of the world's greatest gaming corporation. His smug smirk was the natural response he had to complement Kaiba's scowl.

"So good to see you—"

"I'm not selling Kaiba Corp.," Kaiba interrupted him. "Was there anything else?"

"You're not real keen on small talk, are you?"

"Companies perish on small talk. You should know that by now."

"I thought companies perished on the golf course," Titus suggested in jest.

"I never liked golf." In harsh tones, he repeated, "Was there anything else?"

"I thought I'd present you with another opportunity to sell your company."

"Good. Then we're done." He pressed the button on his intercom that connected him straight with his assistant Charlie's desk outside. "Charlie, please see out Mr. Titus."

"You haven't heard my offer yet," Titus resisted, seeming less confident and more defensive when he saw Charlie enter. "It's an offer of good faith to avoid a hostile takeover."

"I personally own fifty-one percent of this company. My brother owns eighteen percent, my daughter owns eleven percent, and my grandson owns seventeen percent. What makes you think even an outside shot exists for you take the majority?"

Titus pulled a deck of playing cards from the inside pocket of his jacket and flipped the cards from one hand to the other. "I thought I'd appeal to your gaming side." Kaiba did not immediately offer a glib reply, and so Titus assumed it safe to suggest: "How about a dueling tournament?"

Although his scowl intensified, Kaiba gave a single glance to Charlie, who understood the request that he return to his desk. Speaking to his fashion senseless rival, Kaiba said, "I'm listening."

That put a smile on Titus's face. "I thought we might hold a tournament open to employees of our two companies. To sweeten the offer for you, we might base it at Duel Academy in order to provide a certain home field advantage for you."

"My students are eligible for the tournament?"

"Of course. Anyone monetarily connected to your corporation may participate, with certain exceptions we may work out later, but let's focus on the tournament first."

Titus's plan was simple and relatively ingenious. Titus had been planning this type of takeover for a year, giving his employees time enough to become masters of the cards. The idea struck him a year ago when Duel Academy lost the god cards and thus a large portion of their power. Kaiba Corp. employees had a lot of knowledge of Duel Monsters, but few had much experience. As pure serendipity, Duel Academy, home of the greatest student duelists in the world, was sending their highest-ranked duelists to California, except for one or two who might be difficult. As long as he kept the Kaiba family and the Duel Academy staff limited in their participation, the tournament was in the bag.

He said none of that to Kaiba, however. All he said was, "You will wager twenty-five percent of your company on the outcome of this tournament, and I will respond in kind."

"Why would I want twenty-five percent of your worthless company? Your quarterly earnings barely scraped five figures."

"I meant my _entire_ company."

Kaiba realized immediately that meant twenty-five percent of an international coffee industry, or approximately eighty thousand stores. "I have no interest in coffee."

"But you _are_ intrigued by the proposal," Titus caught on. "A man with your level of power doesn't get there without taking a gamble once in a while. Think about it: You don't duel anymore, but you miss the game. Letting your pawns duel for you raises the bar—you do not have direct control over them, and you do not know how they will fare. The end of the tournament is unknown to you, and that intrigues you." He added, "And I wish to include new rules to make the duels less mundane. That will help improve broadcast ratings."

"Broadcasting is a good idea," Kaiba agreed. "Whoever wins gets one hundred percent of the broadcast profits for each individual duel."

"Fair enough," Titus agreed.

Kaiba paused as if thinking about the package, but he had already made up his mind. And Titus knew it. He just had to wait for Kaiba to agree and sign a contract to make it official.

"What about these new rules?"

Titus was very pleased with this idea. "We'll have them use the Deck Master system."

Kaiba sat back for a moment and recalled his own experiences with the Deck Master system. In this system, each duelist selects a monster from his or her deck to act as Deck Master, affording the duelists different abilities and changing the rules of each duel.

Finally and without a word to Titus, Kaiba used the intercom to call his assistant. "Charlie, bring Sorenson in here immediately. Mr. Titus and I need a contract drawn up."

"Yes, sir, Mr. Kaiba."

Titus smiled at his gaming rival. With a friendly gesture of his hands, he said, "Let the GX Tournament begin."

* * *

An ad went out in the school paper—_The__Dueling__Herald_ (motto: "Giving the Students Something to Read Other Than Their Cards")—announcing a meeting Dr. Lankford was holding at the Hibiki Center to announce a new campus event to the students and staff. Fortunately, the article was more than an announcement of a forthcoming announcement; rumors were included in the article, suggesting Dr. Lankford's announcement was about either a new duel tournament or that the child his wife had over the weekend was, in fact, a demon spawned from Hell just like her father. Cary put her money on the former.

In fact, Dr. Lankford's announcement _was_ about the new tournament set up by Kaiba Corp. and Titus Industries. The press conference about his demon child was postponed until they fire-proofed the stage, or so said Dr. Houtz.

Ignoring Dr. Houtz and eschewing the introduction, Dr. Lankford stepped onstage—decked out in his black Academy jacket and with hair turning a distinct shade of gray—and began by describing the circumstances of the tournament. This was not just a point of pride on the individual level, but on a company level. Each and every student at Duel Academy was now a direct representative of Kaiba Corp.

"Titus may be a coffee industry," he cautioned them, "but there is no doubt the employees have trained viewing _you_ as their primary opponents. Kaiba Corp. technicians and staff are eligible and enrolled in the tournament as well, but they do not live and breathe the game the way you do. You are Kaiba Corp.'s best and brightest, and Seto Kaiba will rely on you to defend the honor of his company."

"Plus," Dr. Houtz interjected, "all those coffee junkies are going to be tough to match with all that caffeine coursing through their veins, so make sure you give it your best effort."

Dr. Lankford rolled his eyes. "Anyway, participation in the tournament is mandatory for all Yellow and Blue students, and optional for Red students, but everyone will receive credit for performance against, and I cannot stress this enough, _Titus__employees__only!_ Allow me to rephrase that for those of you not giving me your full attention: This is a confrontation between Kaiba Corp. and Titus Industries. You do not receive credit of any kind for defeating your friends in this tournament. You will only earn credit by defeating Titus duelists."

The general consensus heard among the rumblings of the students were that the request made sense, and that half the students were lucky they weren't allowed to duel their more talented, taller, better looking classmates. Dr. Lankford just had to hope the students took him seriously.

"Can we have a demonstration of the Deck Master system?" one student shouted somewhere close enough to be heard but far enough not to be identified by the professors.

"There will be no demonstration at this time," he answered.

Dr. Houtz jumped in with, "The Kaiba Corp. techs need another day or two to roll out the Deck Master system in the Academy's Duel Disk system. But you can go online to the Kaiba Corp. website, the Duel Academy homepage, or to YouTube and see videos of previous duels using Deck Masters."

"Just keep in mind," Dr. Lankford added, "that not all videos represent the true abilities of some Deck Masters. Study the lists, use the resources available to you, and prepare your decks to the best of your ability."

* * *

Maikeru was having a decent semester so far. Two months in, he was still on pace for his first four-point-oh semester, and his deck "magically" changed every other day without his knowledge, but every change brought him another chance to win. He had high expectations for the new GX Tournament.

And he was starting to develop a little crush on Cary Strickland. She was the prettiest, sassiest, and best duelist on the island, plus she was in charge of Team OTK, the Academy's strongest dueling team. He considered himself pretty okay-looking, so maybe she'd say yes if he asked her out. She _was_ spending more and more time hanging out in his room lately—one of the few students in blue jackets willing to hang out in the Yellow Dorm.

She might have been there for his roommate, though. Matt was being a Gloomy Gus lately, and Cary was determined to treat him like nothing was wrong. With her feet propped up on his desk she was browsing his laptop and leaning back in his desk chair far enough to fall over if she ran her fingers through her hair.

"Here's the big difference between this tournament and some of the previous stories: The Deck Master only gives the player extra abilities as long as it's in the Deck Master position. The player _may_ move the Deck Master to the field, but doing so negates _all_ of that monster's effects—even the ones it would have as a regular monster."

"That makes sense," Maikeru said. "People could just take their strongest monsters as Deck Masters and then move it straight to the field for an instant win." He gave Cary a softhearted smile.

She smiled back. "Exactly." She smacked Matt's leg as he lay prone on his bed. "Are you listening?"

Matt lay prone on his bed with his neck twisted to face the television. "Why are they still calling him the 'alleged' underwear bomber after he pled guilty? Doesn't that he mean he admits he is, indeed, the _actual_ underwear bomber?" Clearly he was _not_ listening.

Cary leaned forward and turned off the TV. "Hey. This is important."

"So was that. It shows the real importance of follow-through. No plan works out if you don't have the appropriate follow-through. What do I always say, Maik?"

Recalling something Matt said regularly, especially during football season, Maikeru answered, "Those drunken idiots deserve everything that sasquatch does to them."

"That's right," he agreed, even though it was off topic. "Louis Armstrong knew how to blow a horn."

Cary made a face. "Your conversations are like quilts. Anyway, I'm holding every member of the team accountable for participating. I expect you to compete and perform very well."

"Are you sure you want him to compete?" Maikeru joked. "If he doesn't want to duel, that makes things easier for the rest of us."

"A worthy consideration, except this duel is not about you against me; it's about us against them. We're helping Kaiba beat Titus. And when we're playing a team game, it'd be a real shame to leave our strongest player on the sideline."

"What about after all the Titus guys have been beaten?" Matt slurred as he discovered the difficulty of speaking with his face pressed into his pillow. "Do we start dueling each other then to get down to a single winner?"

"That's a good question," Cary told him. "Why don't you log in and see if filling out the registration form gives you access to any answers."

Matt considered it for a moment, but he realized flipping himself over and getting off the bed required more effort than the resulting good feelings associated with registering for another duel tournament. "Not worth it," he decided.

"Fine. Then I'll just log in for you."

As she clacked away on the keyboard, he finally sat up—albeit backward, showing an impressive range of motion in his spine—and asked incredulously, "How do you know my password?"

"Oh, please. Your password is 'password.'"

He looked shocked. "It's so obvious no one could _possibly_ guess it."

"A password should consist of a mix of numbers and letters of varying cases. A good example for you would be '2dumb2live.'"

Matt just smiled. "You _did_ watch those _Red__vs.__Blue_ videos I gave you last Christmas."

This was Maikeru's moment to shine—a good chance to impress Cary with a little bit of knowledge other people didn't seem to have. He started by arguing with her: "That's not actually a protective strategy for creating a password."

"Say what?"

"Well," he said hesitantly, trying very hard to keep his face from burning up when she looked at him. "Passwords based on a single word are easy to guess, especially for computer. Each character includes only a few bits of entropy."

Matt raised his finger as if mocking the classroom. "Uh, entropy?"

"It's a measure of uncertainty related to an unknown variable," Cary explained.

Maikeru smiled. "Very good. With a simple password, the use of symbol substitutions and punctuation marks can increase the entropy by a few bits, but the substitutions also tend to follow certain patterns: 0 instead of O, a 4 instead of an A… Things like that."

"With you so far."

"A hacker may have a program that, conservatively, can make a thousand guesses per second. A password based on a word with symbol substitutions might take such a program three days to figure out. Yet all those substitutions make the password very difficult for a person to remember."

"You've got that right," Matt agreed. "My first password was something like 'Piccadilly.' Or maybe 'Pinocchio.'"

"It was 'pepperoni,'" Cary reminded him.

"You knew that one, too?"

Maikeru wished Matt would stop making Cary laugh. But then again, she was always berating him for acting like an idiot, which meant she appreciated intelligence. And so he continued with something a little more humorous: "If you were to take a short series of random, real words, the entropy bits rise tremendously, thus making it more difficult to guess. Say, Dragon Ravine Faculty Debate."

Cary seemed doubtful. "That seems very easy to guess."

"For you it does, especially if you make a mental picture of it as a reminder. But with that number of entropy bits, it might take that computer program five hundred years to guess."

"Wow," Matt uttered. "And I thought listening to music was a drain on the computer's memory."

Cary narrowed her eyes at Maikeru and pointed with potential accusation. "You realize the journalist in me compels me to follow up on your claim. I have to check your facts." Maikeru smiled and nodded confidently. "But I'll certainly keep that in mind right now when Matt registers for the tournament with a brand, new, easy-to-remember password."

"Bishop jumps queen!" Matt suggested, spacing the words out for emphasis.

"They should be random words," Maikeru reminded him.

He came up with, "Knight jumps queen!"

Maikeru started to suggest, "I don't think you really get—"

"Pawns jump queen!"

"Oh, lord," Cary uttered as she put it together. When he yelled, "Gang bang!" she replied, "Mel Brooks has been such a bad influence on you." A moment longer of clacking away at the computer keys, and she said, "There. Your registration form is filled out." Suddenly she frowned. "Uh oh."

"What oh?" he asked, a thing he did just because it rhymed with "uh oh."

"I must have forgotten something or done something wrong." She showed him the computer screen. "It says your account is locked."

Matt didn't immediately joke about the matter. He took a moment to read the screen, trying a few buttons and typing a few options differently, but nothing changed the fact that his student account was locked for some reason. He almost looked disappointed.

"Does this mean you're still holding me accountable for participation?"

"Oh, we will get to the bottom of this," she said sternly as she pulled out her phone and began dialing the campus computer support office.

"Geez," Matt groaned as he lay back on the bed. "You'd think someone locked my account on purpose to keep me out of the tournament."

Maikeru admitted, "That's exactly what I'd do if I were trying to beat Kaiba. No one here is a bigger threat to the tournament's outcome than you." Unfortunately, he was not far from the truth.

* * *

Four days passed with anxiety levels running as high as finals week. Throughout each day, students registered for the tournament made a trip to the campus card shop (motto: "We Make More Money than the Bookstore") and turned their tournament IDs and passwords into GX medals—bronze identifiers emblazoned with a logo bearing the letters GX in italicized font, plus the Kaiba Corp. logo in the background on the left side and the Titus Industries logo on the right.

The days also saw unknown duelists also exchanging their information for GX medals. Some of the unknowns already wore their own Kaiba Corp. swag. Of those who didn't, many looked around the card shop with genuine interest and even bought a few souvenirs. A few appeared to have the same standing disposition of an Italian mobster; they were significantly less interested in their location except for the hope of intimidating a few college kids.

It brought great pleasure to the headmaster to be the one who allowed the students to convert some of that growing anxiety into dueling spirit. Students and newcomers alike gathered at the quad to hear his address.

"The rules of the tournament are in place, both in your handbooks and in the Duel Disk system. As such, all duels are to be conducted using the Duel Disks you registered or the programmed Duel Terminals around the campus. In the spirit of the rivalry between Seto Kaiba and Joseph Titus, every participant must duel at least twice per day, and no challenge may be denied without an immediate, pressing engagement such as class. Any duels fought offline are not tournament-sanctioned; therefore, all transfers of your GX medals are policed, and unauthorized transfer will result in disqualification from the tournament.

"That said, let's enjoy a fair and spirited competition between our two organizations. When the clock tower in Wilson Hall strikes twelve, the tournament will begin." He chuckled to himself as he looked over the quad, which was pretty much standing room only. "I might recommend that many of you go grab a coffee lest you all duel here and have a holographic battle royale."

Synthia had to laugh at that. Dr. West was so cute with his white hair and his old man sense of humor. Even if his joke was amusing at best, the fact that he thought it was so funny cracked her up.

"I love Dr. West," she announced to her friends, who heard it all before. She was young, sweet to the point of naïve, and so energetic she could jump start a car by attaching the engine to her smile and squealing.

Lili rolled her eyes, a sight so common most people didn't know what color they were. "Yeah, we've heard it already. You have an unnatural crush on the headmaster, even though he's about a hundred years older than you."

"He's not that old," Synthia insisted.

Rory understood the attraction better. Synthia saw Dr. West as more of a father figure than as a Hugh Hefner figure. "Stop teasing her. Don't you have a class to get to?"

"Yes, I do. So I will leave you two to start the tournament without me," Lili replied snidely. She almost sounded jealous. She had plenty to be jealous of, but considering how well she did in the last tournament, she had nothing to worry about while she was at class. "Just make sure neither of you loses before I get to take you out."

"We don't get to duel one another," Synthia reminded her. "Not until we get to the end of the tournament when all the Titus guys are beaten, anyway."

"That really is too bad," said Rory. "I was really hoping to get a public rematch against Matt. You know, get a good chance to have my Cyber Dragons crush his for once."

Lili rolled her eyes again. She couldn't stand to be around Rory when she started talking about Matt. It was like watching a soap opera: Matt was dating Kasumi, who seemed to be possessed by whatever demons turn previously normal women into psycho banshees; Matt abandoned Kasumi and spent the summer hanging out with Rory at a summer camp, where he managed to ingrain himself as the cool, no-rules, looks-great-without-a-shirt counselor and spend an incredible amount of time within two centimeters of Rory for a guy who considered his previous relationship not officially over. Lili hated soap operas.

Thank god Synthia was more interested in the tournament than in rehashing Rory's dramatic summer. She suggested, "I don't see him anywhere. You know, I heard a whole bunch of folks had trouble getting registered. You reckon he could be one of 'em?"

"Good news/bad news if he is," Lili replied. "You never know what kind of heavy hitters Titus brought into this tournament."

"Don't worry about that," Synthia said, waving her hand to dismiss the thought. "Duel Academy has the best duelists in the world."

Rory corrected her, "Students. Best dueling _students_. Most professional duelists are probably better than we are."

"But none of them work for Titus."

"You just hold that confidence," Lili told her. "I'm going to head off to class. You'd better still have that medal when I get back."

"Don't y'all worry about me. I'm rarin' to go here."

Synthia's confidence came from her reception among the male populace. She was cute, short, blonde, spunky, and she spoke with a Southern accent that a lot of guys found sexy. And she just happened to look great in yellow. No fewer than five guys checked her out from the moment she entered the coffee shop alongside Rory. One guy in particular—a short, slender guy about twenty-five with one of those thin mustaches worn by guys who wish they could grow a full beard—was very attracted. He finally decided after Synthia looked his way for the fourth time to go introduce himself.

"Here he comes," Rory whispered as Synthia shushed her.

"Sorry to bother you." He spoke with a boyish voice, which made him seem less dangerous and gave him a bit of charm. "I'm new in town, and you seem like the kind of woman who knows exactly how to find anything she wants."

"That she is," Rory agreed. Hearing a bell chiming in the distance, she stood from the table and patted Synthia on the shoulder. "I'm going to go find myself an opponent." She leaned in close enough to whisper where only Synthia could hear. "He's cute, but stay in a public place." Aloud, she said, "Sorry I didn't get a chance to meet you, but I must run."

"I understand having a busy schedule," the man said as he offered a parting wave.

"Pardon my friend," Synthia requested. "She's stuck on a guy who's kind of dating someone else. It's a complicated story."

"I feel sorry for her, but I actually came over to talk to you. I'm Orik, and you have perhaps the most engaging smile I've ever seen. It's very welcoming to a newcomer."

"Well, thank you. I'm Synthia. Are you here on business or did you just move in?"

"A little of both. I live on the island, but I just got a new job recently."

"That's exciting. What's the job?"

He waved off the question. "It's boring corporate stuff. Not really the kind of thing to lead with when trying to impress a girl. I'm more interested in that elaborate hunk of jewelry braced onto your left arm."

Synthia raised her arm and showed her Duel Disk to the attractive stranger. "It's an accessory for playing holographic duels anywhere you want. Have you seen a Duel Disk before?"

"I have," Orik admitted. He leaned in a bit closer and lowered his voice. "Can I tell you a secret?"

"Sure," Synthia said, ready to bolt if the guy turned out to be a creep.

Leering a bit, Orik told her, "I'm a duelist, too. And I work for Titus."

Synthia's heart rate slowed now. That explained the creepy vibe he was giving off. This guy was part of the tournament and was just trying to chat her up before challenging her to a duel. To make it easier for him, she said, "If you work for Titus, you must want to duel me. What do you say?"

"If you wouldn't mind," he said.

"Not at all. I just hope you know what you're asking for. This jacket right here says I'm a student of the best dueling school in the world."

"I promise you are not underestimated. I'm ready whenever you are."

"Good. Then let's get this duel started."

* * *

_Here we have the opportunity for reader participation again. First of all, I will accept OCs to play the roles of Titus's duel team. These roles will be more akin to cameos than to regulars, but for those of you who want to be part of this, here's a chance. Because of the limited scope, I'll need only basic information:  
Name  
Deck theme (cards if you want to make a specific list)  
Attitude  
Brief history or current employment within Titus._

_In addition to or in lieu of a Titus employee, I will accept submissions for Deck Masters.  
The first limit is obvious: Make it reasonable. No Judge Man effects destroying all the opponent's cards for 1000 LP.  
Limit 2: Each Deck Master may only have an extra effect for each Tribute necessary to summon it. Level 4 monsters get one effect, Level 5 monsters may have two effects, etc. I like the idea because it maintains the superiority factor of a higher level.  
Limit 3: As stated in the chapter, Deck Masters lose all effects when moved to the field. No giving them effects to escape back to the Deck Master position.  
Limit 4: When possible, I prefer the effects be similar to the monster's real effect. This one is negotiable and open for interpretation, but you wouldn't want to see a Kuriboh Deck Master that gives all your monsters 1000 extra attack points, nor would you want to see a Judge Man destroy all monsters for nearly no cost.  
Above all, have fun with it. I hope this tournament will be a bit of refreshment for dueling styles.  
_

_Credits:_  
_Darius Mantzios...tiramisu19_  
_Jason Maxim...Maxim and Knight_  
_Nathan Zislaw...Mavrik Zero_  
_Hillary Delaney...Nodqfan144_  
_Lili Von...Happy2BMe_  
_Carter Jade...Jaden2010  
Mitsuro Itachu & Sora Mikano...Titanic X  
Sean Bivins...DarkVestroia2_  
_Ivy Roaks...Mental Panda_  
_Hayley Wilson...TeamRocketDiva_  
_Maikeru Stone...onyxshade7  
Victor Rocks & Abel Shinzou...Iron-Arm-V_  
_Alister Kazama & Jessica Parks...ZaneKazama001_  
_Synthia Spencer...Madly Chessur_  
_Leila & Linear Lockhart & Azure Windwalker...Windraider__  
Logan Wilson...MercWithTheMouth13_  
_Allen Tebaro...Nouva17  
Tai Ishihara...ZAFT Prime  
Cain Valin...FE96jAFFAR_  
_Kusuma Megumi & Ringo Takagame...VStriker_  
_Rachel Avila...Amourenvie_  
_Starza's and Salman's Magic: The Gathering deck...drake202_  
_Everyone else so far...YamiRuss_


	27. Technical Difficulties

Chapter 27: Technical Difficulties

The tournament was underway, but Matt had little interest in participation, which was just as well considering his account was locked beyond the tech center's ability to fix. It felt like someone up the chain wanted to keep him out of the competition. He wondered if Dr. Lankford and the other professors had that same problem.

With his homework completed and nothing better to do that afternoon, Matt embarked upon a walk around the campus. But his walk didn't last all that long. Physical activity wasn't able to relieve the hollow feeling inside. He spent all summer surrounding himself with boisterous characters and he refused to spend any time alone through the semester so far. None of it helped. He was afraid to sit still, but finally he realized that was the only remaining option.

There was something deep inside him—some kind of spirit—that gave him power and made him nearly unstoppable in a duel. Starting a match against the top-ranked duelist in the school with only one card in his hand and a significant Life Point deficit, Matt managed a victory using a one-turn kill deck he built intentionally to be difficult to use. Matt had nothing to do with it. The spirit inside him made him victorious.

His self-pity led him to the bell tower. Despite the ringing of the bell on the hour every hour, it was actually one of the quietest places around. Students weren't allowed up there and staff hardly ever looked. As long as he didn't draw attention to himself and he remembered to cover his ears before the bells rang, he was completely alone here.

He could see many duels of the tournament from this height over the quad. Some of the students were doing really well against the coffee baristas, but some of the higher management moguls were showing an impressive command over a game in which their opponents quite literally wrote the rules. Every duelist stood on the field with a Deck Master at his or her side, giving them more confidence than they usually possessed and granting them power beyond the ordinary duelist. The rules of this tournament gave everyone else a small feeling of what it was like for Matt all the time.

Seated in the tower, Matt assumed the lotus position: his legs crossed with his feet on his knees. He had no reason to think the position would help, but every martial arts movie he ever saw showed masters meditating with their legs crossed, and he wanted to make sure it worked. He'd already tried the Nic Cage approach—staring at his fist and trying to talk out loud to the spirit within him—but all that did was make him feel ridiculous. At least with this approach, anyone who chanced by would assume him to be contemplative instead of psychotic.

Matt had no clue how to meditate. He started by sitting still and trying to think about nothing, but the effort to keep his mind clear only made the task impossible. His next attempt was to focus on a single thought. Picking one of those was difficult, too. He started with his deck, but that inevitably led him to Bryan, which led to guilt, which led to Kasumi and Rory, which led to more guilt, which led to a desire to slam his head into a wall.

"This isn't working," he moaned. "Why am I doing this?"

_That's a good question,_ he decided. _Why don't I focus on that?_

Matt could immediately think of three impossible situations from which he emerged victorious. The most recent was his duel with Bryan. Before that, he confronted Oscar Apple in a duel with an alchemy-themed deck that didn't really exist. The cards were truly one-of-a-kind and responded to the Duel Disk system because they were hacked. But their power was real enough, and Matt managed to win by grabbing hold of that power.

Before that, however, Matt faced a power he couldn't match. Eden McCrea played all three Egyptian God Cards in a single deck, and Matt managed to counter them all. But behind the god cards waited the full power of the Shadow Realm. The Shadows struck him relentlessly, tearing at his clothes and his skin, yet he emerged with little damage relative to Eden's scorched body.

That was the first time Matt heard its voice.

"_My soul is incomplete. If you die, I will die."_

At the time, Matt assumed those words came from a dream—some kind of mental escape from the pain and suffering brought on by the Shadows. Those words haunted his dreams regularly, but it wasn't until his duel with Dr. Apple that Matt realized it was no dream.

"Who are you?" he wondered aloud.

No answer. That would have been too easy, anyway.

Maybe his deck would be a good focus. He shuffled the cards and placed them on the floor right in front of him. He hovered his hand mere centimeters above the top card and closed his eyes. "I can't win this duel without Monster Reborn," he whispered with focus.

Slowly, he lifted the top card from the deck.

It was Darklord Zerato.

"Damn it." _That was stupid, anyway._

Matt lay back and stared up into the hollow bell. "Maybe I should just take a nap instead."

* * *

"Cary, do we really have to read all of this?" Tai put down his fifth folder and slumped over the desk, ready to take a nap. The setting sun made it an easy feeling to succumb to. "I've only done two duels in this new tournament so far, and even you've only gotten through six folders."

"That's only from this box," she pointed out. Three more closed boxes lay stacked in the corner of the room. "I've already been through all of those."

"It's only been two weeks!" Tai exclaimed. "Do you read in your sleep?"

"It's called speed reading. And it helps to sort through the key words while you read." She turned a page and put on a puzzled expression. "Here is an excellent example. See this list of finances for the construction of this new Medici Building? Seeing Kaiba Corp. listed there is insignificant; they own the campus. But here, where the Arbus Foundation is listed… _That's_ interesting."

"Why would a grant foundation donate money to build a dormitory?"

"That is an excellent question. Fortunately, we happen to have access to a source at the Yellow Dorm who might be able to answer that very question."

As Cary thought about talking to the Yellow Dorm's new faculty advisor in Sebastian Arbus, she shuddered. Tai asked, "What's the matter?"

"I just thought about how lucky I am never to be in that dorm." Dr. Apple turned the island into a giant alchemy circle and Maya Kawamura tried to ascend to the Shadow Realm using nine different god cards. The Yellow Dorm did not have a good history. "It's like taking a Defense Against the Dark Arts class. Never trust the professor."

"So why are we going there?"

"Answers, Lt. Ishihara. That's why we're doing this."

Tai actually welcomed the relief from all that reading. Architectural plans, financial dockets… He was a Navy pilot. He wasn't built for ready all that. A short walk from Cary's room at the Blue Mansion to the faculty apartment at the Yellow Dorm was a good chance to stretch his legs and figure out the best approach to finding information about a building when he was convinced there was a secret conspiracy surrounding it.

"Hang on," Tai said, stopping Cary outside the office. "You might be tempted to be witty and cute and beat around the bush to build up a rapport while you probe for information. I think a man like this will respond better to a more direct approach."

Cary bowed and motioned to the door. "You go in, then. Do your Jedi-Gibbs thing. I'll stay out here and listen in case we still need Plan B after you give it a shot."

Tai smirked without getting defensive. In line with his best Leroy Jethro Gibbs impression, he didn't say anything as he knocked on the door and responded to the ensuing "Come in."

Professor Arbus looked up and smiled. "Ishihara Tai," he spoke with flawless pronunciation. Continuing in Japanese, he added, "Such a pleasure to receive a veteran soldier, and a pilot at that. What can I do for you today?"

Tai was impressed by Arbus's ability to speak Japanese. It made sense considering half of his student body was Japanese, but most other professors had moderate knowledge of the language at best. Accepting the chosen language, Tai sat down and placed copies of the Medici Building's financial documents on the desk where Arbus could see them.

"Why did your foundation finance the razing and rebuilding of an abandoned dormitory?"

"I'm not sure I understand. Do you ask 'why rebuild' or 'why us'?" Tai pointed to him, signaling a preference for the latter question. "My late wife attended Duel Academy many years back. She always had a strong sentimental attachment and wanted to donate. That was back before I established the foundation as a grant provider. Back then, it was just me and my wife donating money to her alma mater. The fact that the money went to that specific project was coincidence."

"Are you sure? You didn't earmark the money toward a dorm allegedly inhabited by ghosts and demons?"

Arbus seemed puzzled and shifted in his seat at the mention of ghosts. "No. My wife rather hoped to build a new convocation center in her name, but we were somewhat limited in the funds we donated. If you want to know why that building was rebuilt in general, you could try asking the man it's named for. Or maybe you could try owning a dilapidated building on a college campus. Kids tend to wander where they are forbidden to go, which makes a broken building a lawsuit waiting to happen. Besides, an abandoned building does nothing for the Academy's finances. Is there a reason you're so curious?"

Tai shrugged. "The rumors of black magic are interesting. Most rumors start with a kernel of truth."

"Very open-minded for a military man. Most of the history of the campus can be found in the library reference section."

"That's official history. The books have very few rumors included."

"Fair enough," Arbus admitted. "My next recommendation, then, is to ask the man who has been here the longest: Headmaster West. Or else you could speak to Dr. Lankford whose grandfather founded this school."

"Perhaps I will. Thank you for your time, Dr. Arbus."

"That's why I'm here."

Tai excused himself and reunited with Cary out in the hall. He almost forgot she was waiting and listening in.

"Did you catch that?" he joked.

"I understood 'demon' and 'Lankford.' You couldn't pull the conversation into English?"

"I was surprised by his lingual knowledge and I forgot you were out here."

Cary sighed at him. "Yeah, yeah. You can fill me in on our way to Dr. Lankford's office."

* * *

BONG! Four successive slams of the pendulum inside the bell followed quickly by four more, and then four much slower BONGs! resonated a melody through the tower. Needless to say, Matt was awakened from his daze. From the lecture halls or his dorm room, he never realized the bells were so loud.

_I should have brought more pants,_ he thought as he lay back down and let out a full, deep sigh. He had spent so much effort trying to focus that he lost track of time. His sudden adrenaline rush was followed by a dramatic wave of exhaustion. He closed his eyes and seriously considered taking a nap this time. The ringing in his ears was even starting to feel harmonious as he settled. He simply allowed the ringing to fade subtly so the only other thing he could hear was his breathing.

_Matt…_

He opened his eyes and found himself lost. Instead of lying under the bell, he was standing inside an environment of pure whiteness. He could see his own body, but all other directions were uniform in their appearance.

"Where am I?"

_I am the God of Light and Wisdom._

The sound seemed to come from everywhere. At first he couldn't see, but then his eyes adjusted to the white surroundings and noticed the feathers of a giant bird, blending almost perfectly save minor shadows. Atop the bird was the face of an elderly man with eyes bluer than the clear sky. Matt had seen this man once before.

"The Uncreated. That's what you called yourself last time, isn't it?"

_I did._

"Why is your voice so much stronger this time?"

_I have grown since we met face-to-face. My power is restoring._

Matt had questions, to say the least. Too many questions to give priority. He settled on the topic at hand: "How did you lose it?"

_The ritual was far more draining than I ever predicted._

"What ritual? The one Dr. Apple completed last year? Does it have something to do with where you came from?"

_The ritual occurred almost twenty years ago. It was how I descended from the higher realm to an earthly form._

"Me," Matt realized. "I'm your earthly form." Taking a moment to process it, he asked, "Does that mean I don't really exist?"

_You were human before I joined you. Your mother and father were already inhabited by my servant and my father. They offered your body to house my spirit._

"Why? Why would a god want to inhabit the body of a human?"

_Life._

Matt waited a moment for more. "What do you mean, life?"

_An eternity for man is a mere moment for a god. But that eternity is infinitely more substantial to a man. Gods are not afforded true lives: merely supervisory roles in the cosmos. I wish to experience a true life, as man does._

"Humans fascinate you that much?"

_An "ordinary man" does not exist. With an infinite array of features, traits, and behaviors, it would take an infinite number of men to find a duplicate for any one of them. Limitless potential is possessed by no other entity than man. This one species rose from a single-celled organism upon the earth's surface to exploring the stars beyond. The opportunity to experience such a life was greater than even my brother could deny._

"Experience a human life," Matt repeated with a laugh. "To feel our sadness, our jealousy, our enmity… We're a bitter species."

_I have felt what you feel. Fear and anger are prominent emotions, as are love and happiness. Your heart has the capacity to envelop these emotions simultaneously. Even when your heart is sad or upset, you have love in your heart._

"Love, huh? Is that my greatest strength?"

_From what I see, you have no greatest strength. Your strengths are equally great._

Matt had no reply. He took a moment to figure out how to ask his biggest question: "Do you influence the outcomes of my duels?"

_There are but brief instances in which I assume control and can feel what you feel. The exchange allows you to access my power at times. You tend not to unless tensions run high because you do not understand the flow._

"Could you teach me?"

_You mean to say that you want more of my power?_

"Quite the opposite: I want to know how to use your power so I can figure out how to keep away from it. I need to know the on-switch in order to find the off-switch."

_The ancients learned best through experience. Discover an instance when you feel my power, recognize the feeling, and repeat it until it is under your complete command._

Matt smiled with amusement. "In other words, I have to duel _more_." He nodded and closed his eyes. "Very well. How fortunate we've got a new tournament going on."

When he opened his eyes, he was in the bell tower again. He still felt the presence of the Uncreated close, but he wasn't certain he could initiate another conversation if he tried. He didn't want to right then; he was more interested in escaping the bell tower and letting the ringing in his ears disappear while he tried to figure out who was more capable than the data center at unlocking his GX registration account.

With all things computer, the height of the food chain seemed to be Dr. Gabrielle Houtz, who coincidentally had a faculty apartment inside the Yellow Dorm. She was the faculty's only Goth, decked out in excessive jewelry and prominent tattoos, but adolescent fantasies aside, Matt was interested in her experience with chemistry, psychology, game theory, and all the high-tech computer programs that explained interactions between them.

Dr. Houtz wasn't in her apartment, but she was in her office at the administration building. She reacted with excitement when she saw Matt pop his head in the doorway.

"Great timing!" she told him. She jumped up and pulled him by the forearm to her desk. "I have great news about the GX Tournament. I sent you a message about it, but I wasn't expecting you to drop by without responding."

Matt lifted his phone from his pocket. "Oh. It seems I forgot to charge my phone. That's why I didn't get your message."

"It doesn't matter as long as you get out there quickly and get in your one duel for today," she said. She spoke very quickly, leaving Matt to wonder when she stopped to take a breath. "I just got off the phone with one of Kaiba Corp.'s technicians—Well, not _just_. I guess it was actually three hours ago. And it wasn't technically me: Sebastian is the one he spoke to. But anyway, the technician managed to get in there and unlock your account. He said the hack job on your ID was pretty heavy, but he got it taken care of for you." She shuffled the papers on her desk and found a Post-It note with Arbus's writing on it. "This was the funny part. The tech guy seemed to know who you were. He had to give you a password, so he used 'GuardTrio' with a capital G and T. He said you'd be able to remember that one."

Matt chuckled to himself. "Yeah, I can remember that."

"You want to fill me in?"

"It's nothing."

"Alright," she accepted. After all, it was none of her business. "Well, put your ID and that password into your Duel Disk and you should be able to connect to the GX Tournament. I hope you studied up on the Deck Master abilities."

"Enough to get started. Thanks, Dr. Houtz."

With his Duel Disk connected to the GX network, Matt set out to study his relationship with the Uncreated—to learn how to draw its power at will, and ultimately how to separate from its power permanently.

Unsure how to distinguish the talented duelists from the less experienced without the aid of colored jackets, Matt figured going to the quad and setting up his Duel Disk was the best way to find an opponent. A number of duels were underway in the quad—some half-finished and some just starting. He simply walked to the middle of the quad, activated his Duel Disk, registered Sangan as his Deck Master, and waited with the orange critter by his side.

It didn't take long for Matt to draw attention, but most of it was people speculating what he was up to and why he was just waiting there. He tried to focus on that feeling of power the Uncreated possessed until the moment a tall, black man approached him.

"You alright, man?" the man asked. His head was shaved and he was the right size for a former football player: head and shoulders taller than Matt with an additional two centimeters in arm diameter.

"I'm just trying to meditate on my feet while I look for an opponent," he answered. "I'm Matt, a student. Obviously," he added when he tugged on the sleeve of his jacket.

"Tyrone," the big guy replied. "I work security for Titus Industries." He pointed to Matt's jacket. "Yellow means you're an upperclassman, right?"

"I'm a junior, actually."

"With a pretty low rank, right? Blue's the strong guys?"

"Yeah."

Tyrone smiled. "Well, don't take this the wrong way, but maybe that means you'll be good practice for someone like me." He rubbed his face nervously as he spoke.

"Are you not all that experienced in dueling?"

"I got a medal already, but it took a while and I almost messed it up."

"It doesn't have to be pretty or a landslide to earn a W," Matt reminded him. "Besides, just playing the game is a good experience."

"You sound like a football coach I had back in high school." That sent both young men into a few minutes of bonding over football stories and comparing their old coaches. Tyrone played in college for a year, but he tore his rotator cuff twice and found himself unable to use his right arm for much heavy lifting anymore.

"Injury sucks," Matt admitted. Not that he ever had an injury he couldn't heal—probably another side effect of the Uncreated's power.

"Yeah. But anyway, you wanna go ahead and get this duel thing out of the way?"

"Absolutely." Matt handed over his deck and shuffled Tyrone's cards. "You want to go first?"

"I was just about to aks you that," Tyrone said with a laugh. "I'll take that offer."

"By all means." Both duelists drew their opening hands. "Have you decided on a Deck Master? I'm going with Sangan."

"That's interesting considering he's a weak monster. Most of the people here only play the biggest monsters in their decks as Deck Masters. Like me: I'm gonna use Evigishki Soul Ogre." The monster standing by Tyrone's side simply towered over Sangan and stood as tall as Matt would if his twin sat on his shoulders. It looked like a humanoid sea monster: blue scales, a fish-like tail, webbed fingers, bird-like feet, and a spiny crest on its head.

"That must be what the quarterback saw when you rushed him wearing your blue uniform."

Tyrone laughed at the image. He enjoyed Matt's friendly attitude and mental imagery.

"I'll summon Gishki Shellfish (4/1700/900)." Though its name was Shellfish, the monster appeared more like a brown-skinned man with a head resembling a jack-o-lantern made from a clam. It carried a scimitar in each hand. "I'll also put down one card. Tha's it."

Matt closed his eyes as he drew and focused on his deck. He specifically wanted to draw Dark Grepher. He focused hard and imagined the card he drew revealing the black face of his dark warrior.

"Oh." His card was a monster, but it was Darklord Desire, a level-eight monster. "That hurts," he admitted.

"Tough hand?"

"Yeah. I'll set one card, and that's all I've got."

"That sucks. But! I'm going to take my good fortune while I've got it. It's rare for someone like me to beat a Duel Academy student."

"Didn't you already beat one of my schoolmates?"

"Nah. I actually beat a, uh, tech guy. Little nerdy guy with big glasses."

"Well, the tech nerds are students, too," Matt clarified. "That means you're doing fine already."

"Sweet," Tyrone said with a look of surprise on his face. He didn't seem to realize he was capable of beating an Academy student in a duel. "Well, let's see if I can push for two in a row. First I'll play Gishki Aquamirror." A large mirror, bordered by golden flames, appeared on the field. At first the reflection showed a golden skull bordered by real flames, but then the mirror shifted and showed a blue creature, hunched over and wearing a full set of robes. "That lets me trade Gishki Shadow to Ritual Summon an Evigishki Tetrogre (6/2600/2100)." The mirror's surface produced the image of a blue-scaled sea creature wearing the kind of heavy armor that provided two pseudo arms. The image stepped out of the mirror right before the mirror disappeared.

"Any chance that thing is related to your Deck Master?"

"Yeah, there's a chance," Tyrone agreed. "They're both Gishkis, after all. Speaking of which, since I summoned Tetrogre through a Ritual, I can activate Ritual Buster; it stops you from activating a Spell or Trap or whatever you've got facedown there until next turn."

"That's not good for me."

With a laugh, Tyrone agreed, "No, it isn't. Tetrogre has an effect where I call out a card type and we both have to send that kind of card to the Graveyard from our decks. You can negate it by discarding from your hand, though. I'll choose Monster."

"I'll negate that," Matt decided. "I don't know what you're planning, but it's probably better if only I discard."

"Maybe. My Deck Master's effect won't help much right now, but I could move him to the field to deal more damage." He paused for a moment to consider his chances. "I'll go ahead and move my Soul Ogre (2800) to the field." His Deck Master took a few large steps forward and joined the other sea creatures on the field. "This should dish out a lot of damage." With an inability to activate a Trap that couldn't protect him anyway, Matt watched as Tetrogre (2600), Soul Ogre (2800), and Shellfish (1700) all landed devastating blows on him directly.

"I will put another card down and that will end my turn," Tyrone said with great excitement suppressed in his voice.

Matt 8000 – 2800 – 2600 – 1700 = 900: Tyrone 8000.

"Crap," Matt uttered. "I wasn't ready for that." He forgot all about the Uncreated as he whipped out his next card, hoping for a winning combination. "Not what I expected," when he looked upon Darklord Edeh Arae. His current hand gave him no monsters able to be summoned without Tributes. "What's left?"

That's when he remembered the little critter on the ground next to him. Sangan was his Deck Master, meaning he had a special ability to contribute to the duel.

"I'll discard Edeh Arae in order to draw a monster with 1500 attack to my hand. And then I'll summon Hecatrice (4/1500/1100)," a monster resembling a golden idol with wings and no limbs.

"Cool monster," Tyrone said. "What do you plan to do with it?"

"I'm going to play Double Summon. And then I'll Tribute Hecatrice to summon Darklord Desire (8/3000/2800)." Matt's monster descended from the sky in a purple light. He wore heavy, black armor with gold trim, and his red wings spread wide. "He can be summoned with only one Tribute as long as it was a fairy."

"Tha's really cool," Tyrone said, sounding much less enthused.

"Yeah, it is. And luckily for me, you pulled your Deck Master to the field. I don't want to take a chance on your facedown card, and so I'll use Desire's effect: By channeling 1000 attack points, he sends a monster on your field straight to the Graveyard." Desire thrust an arm into the air, and a pillar of darkness arose from the ground beneath Evigishki Soul Ogre's feet. The darkness simply withdrew into the ground, and when it did, Tyrone's Deck Master was gone.

"I'm pretty sure that ends the duel."

Matt 900: Tyrone – Deck Master Removed.

"Oh-ho, man!" Tyrone shouted through laughter. "I thought I had you for a minute there."

Matt smiled back. "I really thought you did, too."

"I don't know how you pulled off a sweet deal like that. I've never gotten such a lucky string of cards in my life, and you still managed to beat me. I know I'm no expert, but I'm pretty good."

Matt agreed, "You definitely are. I just got lucky this time."

"You're really good," Tyrone admitted as he shook Matt's hand. He handed over his GX medal and the one he obtained earlier. "If you're the low-ranked duelist here, I don't think I would have lasted long against one of those blue guys."

"They're pushovers," Matt replied. Enjoying the revelry, he offered, "Why don't we go get something to eat. I'll buy you a drink."

Tyrone appreciated the offer, but he gave Matt a funny look. "Are you old enough to drink?"

"No. But I know a few of the employees at Buffalo Wild Wings well enough for them to let me pay for yours. Isn't that how duels worked in the old days? Winner pays for a round?"

"I will take you up on that," Tyrone instantly accepted.

Matt walked with Tyrone and laughed about the way they dueled and how sometimes the rush of playing with holograms is reminiscent of the thrill of being on the gridiron. But inside, Matt was confused. He seemed to manage more power from his deck when he stopped trying to draw a specific card.

Maybe he could only figure this thing out piece by piece, one duel at a time.

* * *

_Little tidbit about my writing process: It sometimes takes me longer to research a deck theme than it does to write the duel. The Gishkis are tough to use if you don't know anything about the cards. I actually know very little about most of the cards, so feel free to call me out if I screwed something up._

_I'll be able to accept more Titus duelists pretty much until the arc ends in case you're interested in submitting.  
_

_Credits:_  
_Darius Mantzios...tiramisu19_  
_Jason Maxim...Maxim and Knight_  
_Nathan Zislaw...Mavrik Zero_  
_Hillary Delaney...Nodqfan144_  
_Lili Von...Happy2BMe_  
_Carter Jade...Jaden2010  
Mitsuro Itachu & Sora Mikano...Titanic X  
Sean Bivins...DarkVestroia2_  
_Ivy Roaks...Mental Panda_  
_Hayley Wilson...TeamRocketDiva_  
_Maikeru Stone...onyxshade7  
Victor Rocks & Abel Shinzou...Iron-Arm-V_  
_Alister Kazama & Jessica Parks...ZaneKazama001_  
_Synthia Spencer...Madly Chessur_  
_Leila & Linear Lockhart & Azure Windwalker...Windraider__  
Logan Wilson...MercWithTheMouth13_  
_Allen Tebaro...Nouva17  
Tai Ishihara...ZAFT Prime  
Cain Valin...FE96jAFFAR_  
_Kusuma Megumi & Ringo Takagame...VStriker_  
_Rachel Avila...Amourenvie_  
_Starza's and Salman's Magic: The Gathering deck...drake202_  
_Everyone else so far...YamiRuss_


	28. Bum Deal

Chapter 28: Bum Deal

"Raucous crowds, stale popcorn, and money for nothin'," Vic Rocks said with a smug grin on his face. "Do I know how to rev a girl's engines or what?"

Hayley rolled her eyes at him. "You don't know as much about women as you think you do, but I'll admit you've outdone yourself this time." And she wasn't just being facetious. In this little firehouse building, dozens of people gathered from all walks of life. The hustle and bustle filled the basement with sounds of people enjoying spirited conversation, purchasing concessions, and—most importantly—betting on the outcomes of the duels.

The true genius of Vic's design was not in making book on a few duels. People have bet on gaming results since the dawn of the coliseum. Betting anything substantial on an Academy duel was against the rules. Dueling against townies—people who lived in the town of Kazuki on Academy Island—provided little challenge and highly stacked odds in a duel. But if townies were offered a chance to duel against one another, and using the equipment of a more highly-skilled duelist… What would they pay for the opportunity to live out a childhood fantasy that not everyone is cut out for?

A simple setup of Duel Disks decorated the middle of the basement. Townies could duel against one another for a small fee and earn themselves a bit of prize money with each win. But for a higher fee, they could rent a deck prebuilt by a student of Duel Academy. Vic's personal deck held a high win rate among the townies. And all spectators could bet on the duels as another source of income. Altogether, each area of small profit added to impressive numbers quickly. Before long, Vic would earn enough to pay off his tuition.

"Don't sound so impressed," he requested falsely. "After all, 'Victor Rocks.'"

She punched him in the arm, but grinned in the process. "You're lucky it's working out in your favor."

"There's no luck involved. I've got it all figured out. The very first duel starts at even odds so I can get a view of the townie's ability. Of course, anyone renting one of our decks automatically gains favor in the odds, based statistically on their win percentage and my ever-evolving formula for the mathematical strength of a deck. I have records of a dozen factors in every duel since we started this, and all of those factors go into the odds formula. Haven't you noticed how the overround has increased over the past days?"

"Is _overround _the word for 'embezzled money'?"

Shooting her a dirty look, Vic replied dryly, "It's not embezzled. I deserve a little something for all the effort I put in. All the bettors still come out on top when they pick well, don't they?"

"It still feels a little… 1920s speakeasy. I feel guilty for being involved with this."

"It'll feel a lot better when your student loan debt starts to disappear," Vic assured her with a kiss on the forehead. "Your deck is the most popular to rent, and all that money goes into your account."

Hayley narrowed her beautiful, dark eyes at him. "All of it? Or do you embezzle a bit off the top of that, too?"

"I'm hurt you would even suggest that. You can totally trust me, babe. Your deck is the result of your hard work alone. This club dueling is the result of my brilliance, but I _want_ to share its success with you. And even if your deck gets rented more often than mine, I still get earn a fair amount from people wanting to use my cards. I'm no slouch in the arena."

"That's what makes this feel so very odd," she told him. "It's not _you_ in the arena. Your cards are getting practice, but you don't actually gain any benefit of the experience. It's like you're earning money but not trying to improve your ability. Literally money for nothing."

Vic shook his head but never really removed the smirk from his face. "That's not true. I record the duels."

"You do?"

"How do you think I'm able to remember a dozen factors of each duel so easily?"

She shrugged. "I just assumed you'd written things down."

"I write it down while I watch the videos. And I spend extra time watching the videos involving my deck. I'm able to figure out the situations in which the townie makes a failing play and assess the quality of the cards. Is it the townie's fault for not realizing a better move to make, or is there some flaw hidden within my deck that I might not see when I'm on the field being brilliant?"

Hearing his description made her laugh. It had only been a little while since he went from being the loud, obnoxious guy wishing for money and recognition to the quiet, calculating guy capable of running the odds on this entire dueling casino by himself. Hayley always figured she was drawn to Vic for his good looks, but maybe she was starting to recognize the potential he held that another side of her saw right away.

"You know that counts as studying, right?"

"Don't be ridiculous. Studying is a waste of time. I'm making money."

"You'd probably make a better businessman than a duelist."

"I'm opting not to take offense to that in light of the harsh truth within your words. After all, I even figured out a place for Ty and Clyde." He looked across the way to see Ty spouting off odds and collecting bets while Clyde played host. The last thing Vic expected to see from Clyde was a wealth of charming small talk that poured out as he greeted the townies. He kept everyone feeling relaxed and comfortable, which led to less cautious betting and to more concession sales. Ty's grasp of book making numbers was impressive from a guy who still referred to multiplication as "the times tables."

"You know they're the reason I ultimately decided to take a chance on dating you?" Hayley asked.

"Them? Why? Did they talk me up to you?"

Making a face as she remembered that Ty and Clyde weren't always charming, she said, "Well, they tried." She smiled warmly. "Those two aren't the brightest light bulbs in the case. They're lucky if they don't set themselves on fire while they get dressed. And yet, you're friends with them anyway."

"They're my subordinates," Vic asserted.

"So you claim, yet you treat them as equals. Maybe slightly dumber, but you don't look down on them." She pressed her hand lightly on his chest. "I know my… 'darker half'… thought you were hot. But I can also see your compassion." The way she looked at him, he knew she was opening a whole new level of understanding between them.

Being in a semi-public place, he laughed to hide his blush. "You're going to ruin my rep with all this mushy stuff. I need to go get the next duel started."

* * *

As might occasionally happen when townies wandered into an underground gambling locale—even one that didn't serve alcohol—a couple of pre-drunken folks wandered inside. Drunk as they were, the duels sparked heavy, low-depth debates among them. Even after they agreed to duel one another and paid their fare to settle their differences in a show of truth and skill, they couldn't manage to quit bickering.

"Well I say England's greatest prime minister was Lord Palmerston!" Grif Gumble insisted boisterously. He was a heavyset man with decent lung capacity for one who smoked since he was eight. And having been drinking since eight, his voice slurred when he argued.

"Pitt the Elder!" argued Wade Simmons, the slightly thinner but just as drunk man with the three-inch-long beard molded in front of his face by mustache wax.

"Lord Palmerston!"

With emphasis on each word, Wade replied, "Pitt, The, Elder!"

The two looked ready to forego the duel and just duke it out right there, but Vic wouldn't allow that, plus they'd already paid for deck rentals. As soon as the current duel finished and the Duel Disks were reset, they'd prove then and there who was the greatest English prime minister of all time.

"_That's_ the guy who rented my deck?" asked Linear Locklear with great incredulity in his voice. He stood out in the crowd because his yellow Academy jacket was still darker than his platinum blond hair. Otherwise, the words "stand out" were rarely used with him. Despite having a fair amount of dueling talent within him, Linear rarely put forth his best effort in school, plus he was only four-and-a-half feet tall. He was content to sit back in the shadows and judge others silently.

His fraternal twin Leila had a different view on things, though she still saw them from the same height. She tried to play therapist with her brother by pointing out that he'd rather sit back without even trying than to put forth the effort and then fail, but that approach hadn't worked on him for years. Trying a new tactic, she convinced Linear to earn himself a little money by renting out his deck at Vic's underground dueling parlor. Things didn't go exactly as planned when the first person to rent it was drunk and had no clue what he was asking for, but it still presented a good chance to see what Linear's deck was capable of.

"See?" Leila tried rephrasing the situation. "Even drunk, he can see the strength of your deck."

"Don't make fun of me. That drunken idiot picked it by pure chance. It's probably all he could afford." As an afterthought, he added under his breath, "Besides, everyone knows Pitt the Elder was England's greatest prime minister."

At least Leila knew she could keep her brother at the dueling club until they finished for the night and he could reclaim his deck.

With their arguments still not settled, Grif and Wade stepped into the duel square, and, with some help, they armed themselves with Duel Disks. They argued about what side of a coin would represent victory, so Vic flipped the coin for them and determined that Wade would go first. He drew six cards, but he only stopped because the Duel Disk wouldn't allow anymore. But that mistake was due to the influence of alcohol. Wade knew the basics of how to play.

"I always knew I'd be a champion duelist one day," he slurred.

"Shut up and move, unless you want to pass," Grif challenged.

With a short growl, Wade slapped a card down on the Duel Disk.

"This card's called Tour Guide from the Underworld (3/1000/600)." The hologram projectors lit up the field with the image of a young woman wearing a professional, blue suit and sporting a handbag bearing the skull-and-crossbones symbol. Wade jumped when the hologram first appeared, but then he settled. "That's cool."

Vic cleared his throat to get Wade's attention. "Her effect says you get to play another monster."

"Oh! Alright, man! I'll use Crashbug Y (3/1400/1600) from my hand." The hologram monster looked like a Hugs candy—a triangular body wrapped in a layer of striped cloth. He reeled for a moment and commented, "That looks kinda gross."

"I'll get rid of it," Grif grumbled. He drew and stared at the cards for a minute without saying anything other than, "Hmmmm." While he stood there, tapping his chin as if thinking of the best play imaginable, Vic leaned in to remind him he needed to make a play. Grif wiggled his fingers over the cards. "I've seen other guys do this all the time." He moved steadily, but Linear had the impression he picked a card at random.

"This one looks good. It's called Horus the Black Flame Dragon LV4 (4/1600/1000)." The dragon resembled a silver-plated eagle, standing in a majestic pose. "I get to attack now, right?" Vic nodded while rolling his eyes subtly. "Alright! Go get him, bird-dragon-thing!" The silver dragon opened its beak and spewed a small, black fireball that smacked into Tour Guide (1000) and incinerated her instantaneously. "Whoa! Look at that fire."

Suddenly Horus began to shimmer, just before it grew into a much larger, metallic eagle. "Horus the Black Flame Dragon LV6 (6/2300/1600)," Vic spelled it out for him.

"Oh, yeah," Grif said, trying to act like he knew it all along. "I'd like to see Pitt the Elder do that!"

Grif 8000: Wade 8000 – 600 = 7400.

"Oh, he'll do a lot worse than grow big," Wade threatened. He slapped down another card and then read it. It was a monster with the body of a boy and a head like a bi-valve bomb shell. "That one's called Crashbug X (3/0/2000)." A third monster appeared on the field, this one like a skinny man with a bi-valve bomb for a head. "I guess it called its buddy out with it. Crashbug Z (3/0/1500)?"

"I don't see any attack points from those things," Grif pointed out.

"Yeah, well I don't see any smarts from those things." Instead of asking for an explanation, Vic simply prodded him to continue. After pulling one card from his hand and examining it like a blind man, Wade shouted, "Oh, yeah! I can use Spell Cards!" He grinned and played one that created a low barrier around the monsters and turned the light yellow. "This one says Level Limit – Area B, and it puts all high-level monsters in defense mode. Now you can't attack me."

Grif grumbled incomprehensibly as he drew. "Well, I can use this tiny little Twin-Headed Behemoth (3/1500/1200) without being forced to defend." His two-headed, purple dragon looked humanoid with each neck in place of an arm. "Hmm. Maybe it's not strong enough, on second thought. Um, I'll just have Horus (2300) attack the bomb-guy you left in attack mode." The silver dragon opened its beak and spewed a flamethrower stream of black fire that consumed Crashbug X (0).

"Wait. How come your monster isn't in defense mode?"

"Uh…" Grif had to stop and reread Horus's LV6 effect. "Oh. Spells don't work on him. That's cool. I guess that means monsters are the only useful cards."

Grif 8000: Wade 7400 – 2300 = 5100.

"Pitt the Elder likes this card," Wade said smugly. He played a card that created a mass of black nothing in the center of the field. "Dark Hole destroys all monsters." Wind swirled all around the mass and sucked in Totem Dragon and both Crashbugs.

"But not my dragon, Horsie."

"Yeah, I got a card for that. It's Super Crashbug (4/0/3000)." The three crashbugs disappeared from the Graveyard, and a monstrous hulk appeared on the field, its green body enormous in size and marked by shining pink lines marking its overall shape like a constellation in the sky.

"That thing's in defense mode, too, genius. You can't hit me like that."

"Yeah, but I can still put another card on the field. You wouldn't dare attack me like this."

Grif huffed. "A trap? Big deal." He stared at his cards for a minute and had to be reminded about drawing to start his turn before he noticed the signal from his Graveyard to activate an effect. "An effect? Why not?" Suddenly his purple Behemoth (-1000/-1000) returned to the field. "My dragon's back!"

"It revives in a weakened state after it's destroyed," Vic clarified. "Now please draw and begin your turn in a timely manner."

"Yeah, okay. This card says something about Traps, so let's play it. That Behemoth can go to the Graveyard for Jinzo (6/2400/1500) to come to the field." Joining his silver dragon was a tall cyborg wearing a long green coat and ruby goggles, and whose brain was visible externally on its head. "According to the effect, it says he negates Traps. That means they don't work, I think."

Wade looked unhappy, and he sounded a bit defensive. "Yeah? Well my bug is still stronger."

Suddenly Grif seemed to have a stroke of genius, but it required him to think very carefully and whisper his thoughts out loud to himself. "Okay! I'll play Dragon Ravine!" The field transformed into the holographic image of sheer cliffs surrounding the duelists. The silhouette of a dragon flew overhead. "I can toss one card to send a dragon from the deck to the Graveyard. And that means…" He stood in silence for a minute. "I forget."

"You probly never had a real move," Wade mocked.

"Yeah? Then how come I got Heavy Storm?" A wild windstorm kicked up on the field and removed the ravine and the barrier from the field. Vic lightly rubbed his head, feeling the pain of wasting Dragon Ravine like that. If Grif were any good, he would have waited until _after_ playing Heavy Storm so he didn't destroy his own card.

"Is that it? Is that all Lord Palmerston can do?" Wade wiggled his body in a taunting manner to get a rise out of Grif. "Then I get to have a go. Since you killed the barrier, I can put Super Crashbug (+3000/-0) in attack mode. That makes him stronger by switching his points, and the same thing, too, for your bird thing." He giggled a drunken giggle. "Now it's _my_ turn to attack! Go, Super Crashbug! For Pitt the Elder!" The hulk lumbered forward and slammed its massive palm on top of Horus (-1600/+2300). The silver dragon left no trace when Super Crashbug lifted its palm. "Hehehe!"

Grif 8000 – 1400 = 6600: Wade 5100.

"I don't like bugs," Grif grumbled. "Oh! I remember my move! I'll use this Dragon Mirror card. It says I just have to empty my Graveyard of monsters and I get to summon the Dragon with the Five Heads (10/5000/5000)!"

"Close enough," Vic muttered as the Five-Headed Dragon appeared, towering over the field with its five different heads swayed. Each originated from a different dragon, lending great power to the combined beast.

"Let's wait for your monster to switch my monster's points." He watched Five-Headed Dragon with exaggerated motions while he pretended to wait for the identical values to switch places. "Want to see it again?"

"Shut up, Grif," Wade grumbled.

"Maybe my dragon's five heads can say something… to your Crashbug (3000)!" All five heads of the massive dragon reared back and whipped forward, spewing energy stream of varying colors and elements to smother the golem. When the flames died, all that remained was a pile of ash. "Hey! That makes my Jinzo (+2400/-1500) guy strong again." The lanky cyborg generated a ball of electrical energy in his hands and hurled it directly at Wade.

Grif 6600: Wade 5100 – 2000 – 2400 = 700.

"You shouldn't've done that," Wade threatened. "You know what happens when you leave the other guy with a few more Life Points." He slapped a monster facedown and placed one other card in the Duel Disk. "Let's see you get out of this."

"Okay!" Grif accepted. "Five Dragon Heads, attack!" The five heads of the dragon snapped forward and unleashed another barrage of energy onto Wade's facedown monster, which turned out to be Sangan (3/1000/600). The little critter was incinerated instantly. "Um, now Jinzo!" The cyborg tossed another ball of electricity at Wade and smacked him directly.

Grif 6600: Wade 700 – 2400.

Grif immediately hopped into the air and fell back to the ground with a tumble. "Hehe! I win! Lord Palmerston was the greatest, after all!"

Outside the ring and far behind the crowd, Linear scoffed loudly. "That loser was just bluffing with his cards."

"Yeah," Leila admitted. "But your deck won! Isn't that awesome?"

"Any drunken idiot can get lucky in a duel. That doesn't prove anything."

But Vic and Hayley seemed to have a different opinion. "Hey, Lin-dude," Vic said with a heavy slap on the back. "Your deck won the first time out! Not bad."

"He was drunk," Linear repeated with a scowl.

"Exactly," Hayley said. "He was drunk, and your deck still led him to victory. You can't believe for a minute he would have won with any other cards." Linear was quiet. Perhaps because of his experience with Hayley's alter ego, he had a tendency not to argue with her. "Maybe you can actually take a little something away from how that duel turned out."

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"The Pitt drunk bluffed pretty convincingly for a drunk man, but the Palmerston drunk called him on it and won big."

"He got lucky."

Vic shook his head. "There was no gamble with that. He had the opponent locked down. Horus kept his Spells from being useful for a while, and then Jinzo locked down his Traps. That was the guarantee his facedown card was a bluff. And to top it off, he had a monster big enough to block the field entirely. That's pretty much a lockdown." He handed Linear a twenty-dollar bill. "Besides, this is for you. It's the rental fee for your deck. And after that, I'd plan for more to follow."

Linear just grunted as he stuffed the money in his pocket. One random idiot winning a duel with his deck didn't make it a winning deck. It still had a few holes, and actually, he figured out a better card during that duel. But that still wouldn't make it a winning deck per se. Some people just didn't understand real life.

* * *

Rory Ruiter caught everyone's attention early on by playing almost on the level with Matt, and she continued to meet expectations against Titus duelists in the GX Tournament. After finishing her final duel of the day, she tucked her twenty-fifth medal inside her jacket and caught sight of Clinton Ealey walking away from finishing a duel himself.

"Hey, Clint," she greeted with that friendly smile of hers.

"Hi, Rory," he replied, slightly sullen by the sight of her. He wasn't torn apart by it, but he still regarded her with slight disfavor since she decided to stop seeing him in hopes of seeing Matt break up with Kasumi. Knowing she didn't like him the same way he once liked her made it tougher to deal with her. "Why are you out so late?"

"Just finishing up a duel against one of Titus's senior staff members. He said he was the General Manager of North American Sales." She looked proudly at her jacket, which was lined with GX medals so much the weight pulled the collar of her jacket well below her neckline.

"That's a lot of medals."

"Yeah. I had to start putting them inside my jacket because I ran out of space on the outside." She pulled her jacket open enough for him to see another row of medals pinned inside. That really illustrated for Clint the lack of foresight by whoever molded the medals; they really should have been smaller.

But regardless of the convenience of collecting the GX medals, the fact remained that Rory had a commanding lead over Clint. Her schedule gave her a lot more time to spend dueling while he was in class, but that kind of progress only a few days into the tournament suggested an aggressive effort to compete.

"That's an impressive showing," he confessed, reluctant to get into numbers. "Good to see you're carrying the Kaiba Corp. banner while I'm in class. Good luck keeping it up."

"Thanks. You, too. Keep it up, okay?"

"I will."

Rory passed by Clint on her way back to the Blue Mansion while Clint just stood on the quad for a moment, enjoying the relative silence that came with early nightfall. The sky was dark and the lights were bright, but most people were off watching their reality shows or otherwise away from the outdoors. Everyone except Nathan Zislaw.

Nathan was also a fan of peace and quiet. There was this one perfect tree on the quad that was just easy enough for him to scale to make the tri-part limb worth the effort. He could lie down with his head in his hands and nothing touching his back save his shoulders and right next to his spine. It was tremendously comfortable and his favorite place to stay when no one was around. That's why it was odd that he started the conversation.

"She's pretty much unstoppable, isn't she?" he asked Clint, who reacted with a start. He peered into the tree to figure out who it was.

"Nate? What are you doing out here?"

"Just watching the tournament go by," he said calmly. "Rory is just one of the people cleaning up against Titus. I don't think they've got a real duelist in the entire company."

"That's possible. No one I've dueled was all that much of a challenge."

"Don't you have a full class load this semester?"

"You jealous?" Clint joked, knowing well that Nathan preferred to take only the minimum number of courses to qualify as a full-time student.

"I'm just saying, a full load comes with a lot of homework, plus all the dueling you have to do for Academy requirements. It seems like tackling this tournament at the same time is like asking for something to fall through, especially for a tournament where you have no chance at individual recognition. All your victories are claimed by Kaiba Corp."

"Yeah, I know."

Nathan yawned and stretched out on the tree limb. "It'd be less of a pain to quit now. Give yourself an extra hour of social time. I hear Synthia is still reeling from her loss and could use a little encouragement."

Clint considered the idea. He and Synthia flirted for a while, but they never really got a relationship off the ground. Then again, she might be worth a second try. She was sweet and funny, and she was certainly cute enough. Maybe giving her a shoulder to cry on would grant him a few bonus points in her mind. Finally he sighed affirmatively.

"You're right. Rory's got this. Maybe I should focus on other things."

"It doesn't get much easier," Nathan agreed.

Clint walked away from the quad feeling a bit better now that he made the decision to drop from the GX tournament. He'd have more time to do the other things he had to do, like wooing a cute, blonde girl with a southern accent.

As he lay in the tree, Nathan sighed deeply, almost as if even feeling satisfaction at the completion of his task were too much trouble. "Well, Greed, that's one good duelist out. I hope your plan finishes soon. I need a nap."

* * *

_I apologize for the two-month hiatus since the last chapter. I got to work on a project unrelated to FanFiction, and then I worked on a different FanFiction project, but now I'm ready to finish this one up. My outline suggests 41 chapters total for this arc, so we've still got a few months to go. Events this season include an ugly breakup, a secret weapon Titus hired to assure his victory, the Duel Academy headmaster finally throwing his cards into the ring, and the Ghost Duelist's plot to save the world._

_Credits:_  
_Vic Rocks...**Iron-Arm-V**_  
_Hayley Wilson...**TeamRocketDiva**_  
_Linear and Leila Lockhart...**Windraider**_  
_Nathan Zislaw...**mavrikzero**_  
_Synthia Spencer...**Madly Chessur**_


	29. The Coffee Business

Chapter 29: The Coffee Business

"The old Blue Dorm. Before the school attained university status, the Medici building was a dormitory for the highest-ranked students. During one summer about fifty-four years ago, the students suddenly disappeared. All investigations turned up nothing, and so the dorm became forbidden from use. The administration released a cover-up story claiming the students were studying abroad. Several select students actually did study abroad to lend credence to the claim. That was the origin of the study-abroad program here. It was also the origin of dozens of Duel Academy rumors.

"The building being haunted was among the first of the rumors to rise. A professor allegedly established a chemistry laboratory for creating zombies through alchemy. Supposedly the disappearing students completed some sort of black magic ritual that imbued the entire building with shadow magic. One unsubstantiated event involved a shadow god trapping the entire world in a World of Darkness until he was defeated by a Duel Academy student."

"What's the World of Darkness?" Tai asked. Of all the terms found within the documents he and Cary were researching, that one stood out. It sounded like the Shadow Realm, but he discovered already that in documents like these, different terms usually require different concepts.

"It is somewhat like purgatory," Cary answered. "It is a perpetual, near-death state in which people live visions of their dreams being crushed. The process repeats _ad infinitum_ until the person relinquishes individuality and accepts union with the god; therefore, it is torturous for those with strong wills. Anyone absorbed into this version of purgatory is erased from the memories of all other people."

"Odd addendum. So if this World of Darkness is beyond human memory, how did even this one rumor come to exist?"

"Apparently it is a lot like dreaming. You forget about it as you awaken, but for that first little while, the opportunity exists to write down all recollections. Two people did so, and so researchers came to the conclusions of a purgatory world. Anyway, it's not the rumors that caused them to get rid of the Abandoned Dorm and replace it with the Medici building."

Tai knew that part. "Right. The fire. But I never did find a cause of the fire. Investigators found no accelerants, but the point of origin was in the records room on the first floor. The two big rumors were that either it burned down by one of the shadow god's minions, or the school's administrators burned it down to hide the fact that they were covering up the murders of the missing students."

"The cover-up is certainly possible, but it doesn't withstand the stupidity test," Cary declared. "Whether the students were murdered or they just disappeared, burning down the building and all the records of those students would draw only bad publicity no matter how the media spun the tale. I never thought I'd be turned to this line of thinking, but the idea of something supernatural burning down the building actually seems more likely, given the track record of this school."

"I've seen some pretty weird things, too," Tai admitted, though he knew better than to go into detail. He figured Cary was as trustworthy as anyone he ever met, but he couldn't divulge military secrets to anyone. On the other hand, Cary was incredibly useful as a researcher, and could easily build her own career in the military if she so chose. Tai tried to convince her to join Naval Intelligence, but that same strong will that would make her successful also pushed her toward a career in journalism and knocked the military as "not my thing."

"Well, I doubt even a fighter pilot has seen something as weird as a rift in the space-time continuum."

Tai's response was, "Does an interdimensional doorway count?"

"Why? Have you seen one?"

"Of course not," he replied. "I was just being sarcastic."

She just hummed an affirmative hum. "Well, the official zoning records suggest the building was intentionally demolished because the building no longer suited provincial codes. Bringing the building up to code would have been too expensive, and so they razed it instead. The alleged realization that the building wasn't up to code came on the same day a scientist claimed there was a tear in the space-time continuum beneath the building."

"Obviously he's crazy."

"Obviously. Or quite possibly, someone found out what happened to the missing students. Here's the thing: The so-called 'crazy scientist' was a professor who was the faculty advisor of the blue dorm during that summer when the students went missing. He showed up without having aged a day, his eyes were all glassed over, and he made wild claims repeatedly. Most notably, he said the day would soon come when the world would be drawn into the rift and replaced with darkness."

"There's an original prediction of the world's end," Tai remarked. "So how come the administration didn't bother to squash that sentiment and abolish its connection to the school?"

"Every doomsayer gets followers," Cary explained. "There's still one website out there touting the end of the world by being drawn into the underworld."

"People are amazing, aren't they?" Cary didn't have more to add. She just watched him for a moment. "So, what does that mean for us?"

"It basically means no one knows exactly what happened to the Abandoned Dorm except possibly Seto Kaiba himself, and there's no way we're likely to get an audience with him to answer our questions."

"There must still be something for us to do. What if we go examine the basement of the Medici building again?"

Cary shrugged. "We can give it a shot, but I don't really expect to find much down there. Then again, we're pretty much out of options, so what the hell?"

"That's the spirit."

Leaving the comfort of Cary's dorm room opened up more risk of being overheard. Sure, there was some risk involved in spending so much time in her room with the door shut, but she figured it was better everyone think they were dating than everyone know they were researching the Abandoned Dorm and Kaiba Corp.'s part in the coverup. The duo headed to the Medici building in the middle of the day, Tai helping to relax by commenting that maybe they'd find out the old blue dorm was only demolished so they could build an even bigger ego trip for the duelists in blue.

Of course, getting inside a VIP building without alerting anyone to their presence was difficult. The building was locked by card keys the same way hotel rooms get locked. Fortunately, Cary was able to develop a sort of lock pick unit for the card reader. Using her connections with an office assistant in the registrar's office, she obtained a blank card that could anonymously unlock any card reader on campus.

"Does this count as breaking in entering?" Tai asked jokingly.

"Depends. Are we going by the word of law?"

On their way to the basement, they passed by a handful of Titus employees who were staying in the Medici Building. The coffee company footed the bill for managers who wished to stay on campus and earned a certain dueling level among the rest of the company. As Matt summarized, they were the people most likely to win their duels and the least likely to pay taxes. Every one of them looked like a management-type—arrogant, bossy, and only marginally competent. All of them noticed Cary and Tai, even without wearing their Academy jackets, but none of them had the time to waste asking if they were really management. Titus often did promote managers right out of college, and the younger kids were often the best duelists.

Tai took the dumbwaiter down to the basement first. Being bigger than Cary, he was clumsier sliding his way down there. More than once he suffered a brief bout of claustrophobia and wished the dorm were still abandoned so he could just break a hole in the floor and use a ladder to get down there. Cary was able to slide in smoothly and slip down to the basement without drawing too much attention to the dumbwaiter.

"I don't see any space-time rifts," Tai admitted. "At least nothing that a flashlight could show. What would it look like, anyway?"

"I thought you'd seen one before."

"I never saw it. I was kidding."

"Well, I don't really know what it would look like. If it were like a black hole, then it's obvious none exists here because there's no gravity sucking everything in." She continued to scan the room methodically, drawing her flashlight slowly across the ceiling and lowering it just slightly as she spiraled through the room. "If it's like Doctor Who, then we're not likely to see as much as we'd chance upon its effects. Random beings from another dimension showing up on campus, for example."

"I can't say it's impossible, but it does seem far-fetched. Do you think whatever rift was here got sealed up when the building was razed?"

"Quite possibly. If it was a portal opened by some kind of ritual, it may have sealed when the god was defeated. I guess we have previous generations of Duel Academy students to thank for that."

They spent a few more minutes searching for any hint of a space-time rift. Tai wasn't foolish enough to think he would find one, but at this point, it was really all that was left. Their research hit a wall, which meant his mission ended in failure. He was willing to accept it given the efforts of all who came before him, but he really hoped he didn't have to stop here.

Just as he was about to suggest abandoning the current quest, his phone began to ring. The volume apparently startled Cary so much that she knocked over two piles of furniture and what sounded like a thousand crystal chandeliers.

"Are you okay?" Tai asked before picking up his phone.

She took a deep breath and said, "Your phone is too loud." She turned toward him and flinched when she looked into the light he had on her face. "I wasn't scared," she insisted.

Rather than mock her, he said, "It's the Captain. Hang on a minute." He pressed a button and held the phone to his ear. "Yes, Captain?"

"Tai. How are things at the Academy?" Mitsuro was never really one for small talk. Actually, Tai knew her well enough to know this _was_ her idea of small talk. By not asking specific questions about the mission, she was showing her trust in Tai to get it done in her absence.

"It's still here," he answered sarcastically. Thinking about the rumors of the abandoned dorm burning down, he added, "Legally, things are a little gray, but…"

"You been breaking and entering?"

"No." Tai paused for a moment and looked around, wondering if she could actually see him when she asked that. "Why did you jump to that conclusion so quickly? Have _you_ been breaking and entering?"

Mitsuro also paused before answering, "No." The thought made him chuckle.

He wanted to ask about Santa Barbara and the Thelemic Pantheon, but he figured she wouldn't answer. Clearing his throat, he told her the synopsis of the campus events: "Anyway, I think this big tournament is keeping everyone's attention. If I weren't filling my free time with research into magic and Shadow Realms, I might be able to duel more often."

"Sorry, Tai. I really didn't intend this to be a social call."

"Yeah, I know," he said with a laugh. "I just wanted to see how long you'd let me talk."

"Keep an eye out for the names Starza Almasi, Salman Nazari, Tobias Joly, and Lorn Kruse. They apparently have some kind of belief in magic that sounds an awful lot like the Shadow Realm."

With his hand covering the microphone, he repeated the names to Cary to take notes. "Anything you need help with?"

"Maybe. At least I have Bryan here with me for backup in a pinch. Just let me know if you find anything. I get the feeling this little trip to the Thelemic Pantheon was not entirely coincidental."

Next thing, Tai heard a scratching sound and the phone clicked off. "I guess she had to run," he concluded.

"Is she alright?"

"The Captain will be fine. I've seen her handle some overwhelming odds."

"I'm sure. She's been given the rank of Captain without even graduating college. Starza Almasi… I've heard that name before. She's some kind of archaeologist, I think."

"You think those four names will help us?"

Cary freely admitted she didn't have a clue. "Considering we just hit a dead end on the Abandoned Dorm thing, at least it's something. I guess we head back upstairs. I'm first this time." Tai allowed her request without making any comments about her being afraid of the dark. He just waited patiently until he heard the door to the dumbwaiter open on the ground floor and Cary slid out.

When he heard the door slam shut, he also heard two voices. One belonged to Cary, and another belonged to a man. He didn't sound very old, but he definitely caught Cary red-handed as she emerged from the dumbwaiter. Tai couldn't understand the conversation perfectly through the dumbwaiter, but he was able to discern the predictable stuff, such as "What were you doing in there?" and "Who are you?" He figured there was no use hiding out down there. Mr. Curious would come find him eventually.

He pulled the dumbwaiter back down to the basement level and heard the distinct question, "What's that? Is someone else down there?" Tai shook his head and took what he hoped would be the very last look he ever gave to that small dumbwaiter. The sweetest breath came when he opened the door and smelled fresh coffee on the man talking to Cary. He wasn't more than an inch or two taller than Tai, but he had a pretty stout build. His dark hair accented his sharp, green eyes, and his tanned complexion indicated his time in the sun. He wore fairly expensive duds—nothing fancy, but sewn from nice materials.

"So much for that," Cary mumbled as Tai climbed out of the dumbwaiter.

"Zak Orda," the man said as he extended a hand to Tai. With a smirk on his face, he asked, "What were you two doing?"

Tai had a pretty strong poker face no matter the opponent or the circumstance. Even in a situation like this, he felt he had a good grasp on what to say to avoid drawing too much suspicion to himself and the basement of the building. But Cary's wit and speed reminded him what he missed by attending a private school.

Her selected response was, "I can tell you what we _weren't_ doing, and that's successfully finding _one_ place to keep us a secret." When she saw Tai's surprised reaction, she dryly replied, "Oh, please. We're practically caught in the act. Might as well get it out there. Besides, he's not a student, so who's he going to tell?"

Zak held the smirk like it was pasted on there. "You're in college. Why does it matter if anyone knows you're together?"

Cary sighed. "I'm a blue. He's a red."

"Ah, I get it. He's a freshman and you don't want that getting around." He feigned pulling a zipper across his lips. "My lips are sealed."

"Good. See? Not a bad guy."

As she awkwardly took Tai's hand—totally an act for Zak's sake—the decadent man spoke up before they got far. "Any chance one of you is still eligible for the GX Tournament?"

Tai turned to look. "Why do you ask?"

"Well, I figure anyone who can slip into a locked building and into the basement without notice has probably got some skill at dueling. And I get a bonus for every medal I amass through this tournament. So what do you say? Fair trade for my silence on the matter, wouldn't you say?"

"It is," Tai agreed. Cary looked annoyed, but Tai would probably make the same request in Zak's shoes, and so he was willing to accept the challenge. "We still don't know what to do next," he whispered to Cary. "I'll accept his challenge and you can get out of here. You know, separately from me?"

Cary grinned. "Is my ruse making you uncomfortable? You worried about what Mitsuro would say?"

"You've got the wrong impression," Tai said without losing his cool. "She's my Captain."

"Well, I'll get check out the names your captain gave us. You go have fun with the tournament. Try not to lose."

"Good advice, thanks."

When Cary headed out, Zak asked if she was trying to avoid making it look like she and Tai were leaving together, and Tai allowed that assumption. He assured Zak that Cary was a tough woman who was as intelligent as she was attractive.

"Shall we get started?"

"Out front?" Zak offered.

Looking somewhat hesitant, Tai requested, "Well, how about we head out toward the quad a little ways? I don't want to be in full view of the rest of Titus's bigwigs. Last thing I need when I win is a barrage of challenges from the guys at the top."

"Confident for a kid, but that's fair enough."

"I'm at least three years older than you," Tai replied. "I'd guess you're about twenty-five."

"Good guess," Zak confessed with a surprised look. "That makes you pretty old for a freshman."

"Some people don't get accepted into Duel Academy right out of high school."

"Yeah, I remember. I graduated from here a few years ago."

"Yeah? So you probably still know a few people on campus. Maybe even a few of the ghost stories about that building right there." They were walking away, but the Medici building was still in sight as he pointed.

"There are as many ghost stories about that place as there are students in the Academy. And as someone who has spent several nights there without any sort of repercussion, I can assure you they are all urban legends." His tone was one of disappointment.

"You don't sound thrilled to be back."

Zak laughed. "Unfortunately, the passion for dueling dies quickly when you realize how hard it is to be the best. With about a thousand professional duelists out there, it can be awfully tough to make a living with it."

"But you found another passion in brewing coffee."

"Oh, coffee got me through school. There was hardly a single morning when all the students in my wing didn't line up to get a cup of what I had brewing. I put together dozens of flavors and combinations, but I never once had a complain that didn't start with, 'I wanted more.' Looking for some kind of work until I figured out what to do, I started at a coffee shop in town. Didn't take long for me to get promoted with my kind of vigor. From sales management to supply to warehouse site leader, I jumped straight up. I even got to meet Mr. Joseph Titus directly on a number of occasions, most recently of which he asked me to help out in this tournament."

Tai said, "You must be a little better duelist than your graduation let on for you to last this long. At this point, we may only have forty or so duelists remaining. That's pretty well narrowed down considering the rivalry between Mr. Titus and Mr. Kaiba."

"Joseph helped me figure out how to transform the passion I feel for brewing into the passion of a duel. Now I am able to feel my cards responding to my very soul."

"Sounds like you're going to be one tough customer."

"Nervous all of a sudden?"

"I didn't say you'd win. I just don't think it will be easy."

By this point, they were out of sight of the Medici building, past the fine arts building and at the southern end of the quad. Zak used this location to extend his challenge a second time. Now Tai was ready to begin the duel.

"What do you think of this Deck Master system?" Zak asked. He placed a card on the center of his Duel Disk and summoned a heavy suit of green armor with a shield on its right arm. "I'm a huge fan of it. This Zaku II leader really gives my deck a nice edge."

"I've appreciated it," Tai agreed as he summoned a tall, broad machine, mostly white in color with prominent red along its arms and chest, called Gundam Heavyarms.

"Well, let's just see who has the better grasp of the system. Mind if I go first?" Tai consented with a motion that looked like a sideways nod with a half shrug. "Good. It's just a simple move here: I'm gonna set one monster in defense mode. And that's all."

Suddenly the robot standing beside Tai seemed to disconnect its shoulders from its chest, revealing two hidden cannons. A loud crack preceded two missiles being launched at Zak directly while the exhaust gases spewed backward and engulfed Tai. The Life Point counters on each duelist's arm lowered by 400.

"What was that?" Zak asked.

"My Deck Master's effect," Tai answered. "Every End Phase, we each take 400 points of damage."

"During every turn, you would sacrifice five percent of your Life Points?"

"I like to duel fast. Can you keep up?"

Zak smiled. "I like you. You've got a good attitude for management. You'd fit in well with the Titus Corporation. You know we've started a gaming division, right? You should consider it. I may be able to put in a good word with the boss."

"Something to keep in mind," Tai said. His tone suggested he wasn't listening to Zak's meaning but just trying to push the conversation along. He played a monster that looked like a red, humanoid robot about half Tai's height. "Robot Mk-2 (3/1500/1000) in attack mode. And I'll attack." The robot prepared a small laser blast from its wrist.

"No, you won't." The green suit of armor turned toward Tai and intercepted the robot's attack with the shield on its arm. "I get exactly three uses of this effect, but Zaku II negates your monster's attack."

"I've gotten used to that," Tai replied with the same tone. "Part of why I use this Deck Master. I'll set two cards and end my turn." His machine opened its arms and fired two more missiles.

Tai 7600 – 400 = 7200: Zak 7600 – 400 = 7200.

"That's a good start. I'll flip my Zaku I (3/1200/1300) to summon a second from my deck." On his field appeared two suits of armor, much bulkier than the one selected as a Deck Master, colored as if blue skin wore gold clothes. "And now two monsters make a good Tribute for Sazabi (8/2600/3000)." The new monster was a massive suit of armor, deep red in color armed from the wide legs to the bulky shoulder guards with weapons, including a missile pod on each shoulder. "This one's my favorite armor class."

"It looks powerful," Tai agreed. "Powerful enough for me to activate Rivalry." A Trap rose from the ground with the image of a white machine preparing to launch a wrist-mounted missile at a nearly identical red machine with the same wrist-mounted missile. "If either of us wants to attack, we're going to pay 500 Life Points first."

"Can't have a big business without a little risk," Zak said. "I'll pay the 500 and attack your Robot Mk-2 (1500)." Six missiles launched from the missile pods on Sazabi's shoulders, turned in the air, and converged on Tai's robot, obliterating it and flinging shrapnel around the field.

"In a modest effort to gain an advantage, I'll respond with Operation Meteor." His Trap bore the image of a machine plummeting through the earth's atmosphere in a bright pink fire. "With this effect, after I take Battle Damage, you take 200 points of damage for each card in your hand. I do believe that's 1000 points.

"In addition to the damage, destroying Robot Mk-2 cuts the attack points of your armor by half." Flecks of red shrapnel from the explosion stuck to Sazabi's (-1300) armor and reduced its power significantly.

"Well played. I'll set one card, too. And I guess it's time for your Deck Master to blast us both again."

Tai 7600 – 1100 – 400 = 6100: Zak 7600 – 500 – 1000 – 400 = 5600.

Zak took in a deep breath. "Do you know the greatest thing about coffee?"

"Eight dollars a cup?"

"The smell. There is nothing more intoxicating than a freshly brewed cup. It doesn't even have to be brewed. Even a big whiff of coffee grounds can wake a person right up. It is nature's most perfect creation. Coffee has a multitude of uses."

Tai had a hard time thinking of how useful coffee was outside of waking up. "Throwing it in someone's face?"

"It can sober up a drunk person and alleviate a hangover."

"Not really true. I think the Mythbusters debunked that one already."

"Be that as it may, it certainly perks me up when I've had a little too much."

"Caffeine will perk you up but it won't neutralize alcohol. Or get it out of your system any faster. Does your play involve coffee, or are you just trying to chew my ear in hopes that I'll forget how to fight back against your red giant?"

"Just a conversation," Zak said with a grin. "Coffee is what drives young duelists who stay up all night learning to be great."

"Right. Well, I'll summon Altron Gundam (4/1500/1700)." The monster was a robotic suit of armor, mostly white with prominent turquoise. Though the arms ended in hands, extensions with yellow claws were available on the forearms. "It's just enough stronger than Sazabi (1300) now to clear the field." The white armor converted the claws and swiped through the bigger, red armor, but it failed to destroy it.

"Sazabi can only be destroyed by a monster with 4000 or more attack points," Zak explained. "That will make it very difficult for you to destroy it."

"One more card and I'll end my turn." And with the end of his turn came the launch of more missiles from his Deck Master as Gundam Heavyarms attacked both duelists again.

Tai 6100 – 500 – 400 = 5200: Zak 5600 – 400 = 5200.

"In terms of total net worth," Zak interjected, "the Titus Industries are worth more than Kaiba Corp. People will always want coffee. It's like a drug. Our coffee is even popular internationally. I spent some time working in a pre-customs facility, and we ship so much overseas that you will never find a better smelling place to work."

"Duly noted."

Zak picked up on Tai's weakening patience. "Alright. I'll drop it for now. To begin my turn, I'll remove a Zaku I from my Graveyard in order to keep Sazabi on the field. I'll equip it with Elmeth." A green, mouse-shaped ship flew onto the field and docked into Sazabi's (+2500) shoulder pods. "Now my card gets another 1200 points. I suppose I'll set one more card, but I'll also attack." The massive red armor enacted its counterattack against the white armor, using the green ship to release a laser that struck the field and appeared to rip the earth straight up.

"Well, one point of consolation is I get to summon another machine from my deck. I choose Deathscythe Gundam (5/2000/2500)." This robotic armor was black and carried a lengthy scythe in its right arm.

Tai 5200 – 1000 – 400 = 3800: Zak 5200 – 500 – 400 = 4300.

"Good," Zak said. "We're pretty evenly matched. But I'm starting to edge ahead of you."

"Maybe it's the caffeine. I'll play Robot Mk-4 (3/1400/1600)." This small robot was identical to the earlier model save the color; this one was green. "I'll play my Trap, Resupply the Ships." A small airship shot through the air and hovered beside Tai's deck, extended a hose to refuel his hand. "It lets me draw two cards. This seems a good time to activate Deathscythe's effect. By cutting its points in half, it can attack you directly." The armor with the enormous scythe disconnected pieces of the armor in order to slip across the field faster and more nimbly, striking at Zak until Zaku II's shield intercepted the assault.

"That's attack negation number two," Zak decided out loud. "I only get one more, but it was worth it here."

"Good move," Tai agreed. "I'll set a card and end my turn."

Tai 3800 – 500 – 400 = 2900: Zak 5200 – 400 = 3900.

"Ohh! I think I've got you beat here," Zak said with growing excitement in his voice. He removed another Zaku to keep Sazabi. "I'll summon Gouf (4/2000/2000)." A blue suit of armor, with spikes on the shoulders and a whip-like cable extending from its arms, appeared on the field. "First Sazabi (2500) will clear your Deathscythe (2000) from the field." The red armor released another focused laser beam and exploded Tai's entire field. "And now Gouf will clear your Robot Mk-4 (1400)." The blue armor whipped harshly and tore straight through the green robot. "And here's the kicker: Gouf gets to attack twice during the Battle Phase of the turn it's summoned."

"Not this one," Tai argued. The explosion of Robot Mk-4 caused a high-pressure burst of air that forced Gouf off the field and into Zak's hand. "When Robot Mk-4 is destroyed, the attacking monster returns to the owner's hand."

Zak nodded approvingly. "You saw this coming, didn't you? I reiterate that I would love to introduce you to Joe and get you a spot in Titus's management chain."

Tai 2900 – 500 – 600 – 500 = 1300: Zak 3900 – 500 – 500 – 400 = 2500.

"Unfortunately, I can't take credit for predicting that move. I'm just winging it and hoping for the best. And all I've got right now is one monster facedown and Heavyarms Assault." When his Spell resolved, his Deck Master stepped up and launched a barrage of smaller missiles at Zak. These missiles were small enough not to inflict blowback on Tai. "It inflicts 2000 points on you, but I can't attack this turn. I can't attack anyway, though, so I figure the downside's not too big." And Heavyarms Gundam launched one more assault, this time with the bigger missiles that struck both duelists.

Tai 1300 – 400 = 900: Zak 2500 – 2000 – 400 = 100.

"This is my last chance," Zak recognized. "If I don't attack hard and fast, that Gundam Heavyarms will end me."

"I reckon that's about right."

Zak shook his head. "I hate to admit it, but this is a situation I find myself in only once every thousand duels or so. I am unable to make a move now. If I end my turn, your Deck Master takes the last of my Life Points. But I can't attack without paying the rest of my Life Points to do so. And no Spell or Trap in my hand will change those two truths. I concede the duel to you here." He extended his hand.

"Thanks," Tai replied as he accepted Zak's GX medals. With a curious look on his face, he asked, "What did you mean about the multitude of coffee uses?"

"If you join the organization, we'll talk," Zak said. "You care to talk about it over business dinner tonight? Titus is paying."

"Raincheck. I've got a class from five until eight. But thanks for the offer." They parted ways with a certain level of friendship between them, yet Tai was still a bit suspicious. He called Cary just to find out what she could make of it.

"What do you use coffee grounds for?"

"Some people filter hot water through it and drink it. Did you just learn where Titus earned all their money?"

"I get the feeling there's something more there," Tai suggested. "I have no real basis for it other than a real bad hunch I get when I talk to that guy Zak. Is there anything else you can think of? Coffee grounds…"

There was silence on the line for a moment. "Well, I know of one other thing, but if you want research into that, you're going to have to approach Sergeant Baker or even Captain Rader because I'm pretty sure drug trafficking is over my head."

Tai thought about what Zak said, that Titus is worth more than Kaiba. "Is it possible Titus Industries engages in drug trafficking?"

* * *

_Little plot point I didn't plan to add. I know where it's going, though, so don't worry about how it plays out. It won't take long._

_One thing this chapter assured for me is that duels involving fake cards are really tough to write. I don't think I'll accept such decks anymore. The decks by both players are based on Gundam, a series in which I've never seen a single episode. Could you tell?_

_The next chapter will pit another OC against some of Titus's worst members. Knowing the competition has little to do with a single victor and more to do with depleting Kaiba's resources, they commit themselves to a bit of Duel Disk hacking and introduce the Battle Royale format against a single student. Could even the legendary King of Games win against three powerful opponents simultaneously?  
_

_Credits:_  
_Tai Ishihara...ZAFT Prime_  
_Zak Orda...Titanic X_


	30. No Holds Barred

Chapter 30: No Holds Barred

Computer programs weren't going to help against a guy whose entire reputation was based on sheer luck. Unfortunately, luck was unreliable as a countermeasure. In order to stop the Ghost from achieving his goal, Matt was going to be beaten by pure skill, and the perfect deck. With every card he owned spread out on his bed, across his desk chair, and even covering half the floor, Thomas Estrada sought the card combinations that would finally make him strong enough to defeat Matt.

"These cards are perfect against the Cyber Dragons," Thomas uttered, "but they aren't good enough for the Darklords."

His best friend and current Yellow duelist Nick Sims told him, "Focus more on the Darklords. Once he gets them out, they're much more dangerous than the Cyber Dragons. Besides, the Cyber Dragons can be taken down readily by whatever gets the Darklords." Nick was trying to make light of the situation in order to calm Thomas, but the effort constantly failed.

"No. The Darklords hold an entirely different kind of field presence from the Cyber Dragons. There has to be some middle ground with the perfect deck arrangement to crush them both."

"Why the sudden obsession with beating Matt? This can't just be about Kasumi finally talking to you again." Nick remembered how badly Thomas took it when Kasumi left him for Matt two years earlier. He was furious enough to skip any classes with either Matt or Kasumi in them for a month. But recently, Kasumi started talking to him again, and Nick worried that Thomas was going to try to woo her back. Lately he was obsessed with having everything he couldn't get.

"I don't just want to beat: I want to _crush_ him! I want to prove once and for all that he has no skill beyond luck! I want to show Kasumi and the Ghost that I will not be tossed aside lightly. Not only will Kasumi cling to me when I trample Matt, but I will spoil the Ghost's plan and claim his power for myself." He grunted and dropped his current deck on the table. "But I can't do it with these cards. I need to place an order." That meant he was heading back to the campus card shop. And once again, Nick had to stay back and lock up a room that wasn't his, especially when Thomas left all his cards strewn about the room.

"Dude, you've got to stop this," he called after Thomas as they passed through the foyer of the Blue Mansion and exited the double doors in the front. The burst of daylight stunned Nick when the light refracted through his thick glasses and into his eyes, but more of an impediment than that was Thomas's chosen walking speed. The man was clearly on a mission.

"What is going on?" Nick asked emphatically. "You changed last year, but now you're suddenly obsessed. This whole 'beating Matt' thing makes you sound brainwashed. I just don't understand how you expect that beating him will net you power. People just don't have that much respect for him. It doesn't make sense!"

"I want him beaten," Thomas replied. "This is _my_ desire. I want it all."

Nick searched for some way to snap his friend out of this funk—this oddly-ambitious depression he suffered from. But his own attention was suddenly drawn toward a woman whose current state of dress would get her ejected from a classroom. Wearing a red velvet dress with the skirt ending six inches above her knees and no back to the dress whatsoever, she almost seemed to display the tattoo of a winged skull on her chest, uncovered by even a thread of her dress. Even the multitude of piercings in her ears, nose, and lip failed to draw Nick's focus from her dress. She had black hair down to her bust, and she wore high-heeled sandals even though she was already inches taller than Nick.

"Excuse me, handsome," she spoke in a sultry tone. Nick couldn't respond immediately with his tongue hanging out like it was. It was a common response she received lately. She decided to exacerbate matters by closing the distance to Nick's side, standing so close to him that he wouldn't have to reach far to cop a feel of that silky skin. He could almost see through the fabric of her dress at this distance. Every curve in her body was visible and perfect.

_I've played my part here, Greed,_ the woman thought to herself. Valerie Sheehan wasn't thrilled with this assignment, but she also hated being discarded by the Ghost, and Greed was looking to spoil his plans. _I'll keep your friend off your back. You just be sure your plan succeeds._

* * *

Most people hate Mondays. Not Rory. Her problem was with Tuesdays. She had a class that started at quarter to eight. That meant she had to get out of bed by six, which was an ungodly hour in her opinion. Sure, she was in the habit of jogging around campus before the day began, but usually that meant she could get up at eight, go for a run, and then take a shower before getting the day started. On Tuesdays, she had to get up extra early if she wanted to get that shower in before class.

In the Blue Mansion, each student lived in a suite with two other students. One of Rory's suitemates was her old friend Lili Von, a somewhat caustic young woman who appreciated physical fitness only at normal hours of the day. Their third, however, was a young woman named Crysta Gellar who was perfectly willing to get up early and go running. On more than one occasion, she acted as Rory's alarm clock to get her up on time. It was nice to have a roommate who would do that and was able to take pillow throwing in context and not as an attack on personal character.

When they got back to the suite, Crysta jumped on her computer and left the bathroom wide open for Rory, knowing she wanted to shower before class. That's why Rory came to her with a little "issue" she found with her shower.

"Did you put baby oil in my shampoo bottle?"

"Why would I do that to you?"

"I don't know. Is it funny?"

"It might be if you're a guy."

Rory immediately narrowed her eyes. "Ooo, he _promised_ never to prank me again. Not after he left that open can of sardines under my bunk all night." Crysta snickered at the mental picture. "My nose still burns whenever I smell fish."

"If it makes you feel any better, you're not the only one. Someone posted a whole bunch of flyers for a great new restaurant and offered free food to the first one hundred customers, but the address doesn't exist."

"Really?"

"Yeah. My Facebook feed has a slew of posts about the place being a fake. Apparently a bunch of people were pulled in by the promise of free food, and they were not happy when they thought they were going to miss out on free food just because they couldn't find the place."

Rory grumbled to herself as she stormed back into the bathroom to finish getting ready for class. "I almost hate him sometimes."

"No, you don't," Crysta called back.

"No, I don't." After a moment, Rory winced audibly and dropped her toothbrush in the sink as she spit heavily. "Are you kidding me? He put salt on my toothbrush!" She spit again and added, "Are you sure I don't hate him?"

"Less sure than I was a minute ago."

* * *

Aurora Ruiter wasn't the prettiest girl in the world, or even at Duel Academy, but she was awfully cute due in no small part to the fact that she smiled almost exclusively. That made her seem so much more approachable than some of the other girls. She also put blue highlights in her hair to match her dorm status, and they just looked really nice on her. Cain Valin, with his red jacket, had to wait for the right set of circumstances before making this move, but when he saw Rory emerge from the Blue Mansion and head toward the Marufuji building, he hurried from his perch on the low wall outside the quad to join her.

"Good morning, Rory," he said with a bright, cheery voice. He sounded like seven-thirty in the morning agreed with him.

"Oh, hi. Cain, right?"

"That's right."

"You're the freshman who's been hanging out with Matt."

He shrugged. "Well, 'hanging out' is tough to determine when Matt spends so much time hiding from everyone. I found him once, but the guy's practically a ghost and disappeared again."

"He is sneaky," Rory admitted. But just as she considered Matt sneaky enough to get into her dorm room, she remembered something about Cain. "You've been trying to follow in Matt's footsteps, haven't you?"

"That depends on what you mean. My stride is a good four inches longer than his." Cain was definitely taller than Matt, but that's not what Rory meant.

"By any chance, did you befriend anyone who might let you inside the Blue Mansion? Someone who might find it funny if you played a prank or two on one of Matt's friends?"

"Don't undersell yourself. You're more important to him than that. And no, no one let me in."

"Aha!" She stopped walking and pointed her finger in his face. "Then you admit you are the one who put the baby oil in my shampoo bottle?"

Looking genuinely surprised, Cain replied, "Someone put baby oil in your shampoo bottle?"

Rory backed off the intensity. "It wasn't you?"

With the guilty smile returning to his face, Cain admitted, "No, it was me."

Rory grunted with irritation and lightly smacked Cain's arm. "You're just as bad as Matt is."

"Maybe one day I'll surpass him."

"That's a lofty goal. But I don't want to be paranoid every morning when I try to take a shower or do anything that I might normally do. If any of these things happen to me a second time, I'm going to take one of your big toes as a retaliatory prank."

"I think that's fair."

"Glad we're on the same page. Then are you going to walk me all the way to class?"

"As a show of solidarity. Plus, a pretty young lady walking around alone while it's still dark out?"

She laughed. "On a college campus, not a city alley."

"Still. Can't hurt to have an escort. Never know when someone might attack me and I'll need protection."

"You're not afraid of these coffee-addicted duelists, are you?"

"Nope. In fact," Cain said as he reached in his pocket and pulled out a handful of medals, "I've already earned nine medals."

"So you're still in the tournament? Not bad for a freshman!"

"Thank you. How far along are you?" Rory coyly informed him that she had other medals in addition to the ones on the front of her jacket, making twenty-nine in total. "Twenty-nine? Wow. I've been really slacking off."

"I have to do something with my time when Matt's always hiding," she muttered. They reached the Marufuji building and she parted from Cain, thanking him for walking her to class and reminding him that he'll walk funny if he loses his big toe.

Left on his own, Cain thought aloud, "Twenty-nine. I've got a long way to catch up." Cain had a solid block of free time ahead of him—certainly a chance to put forth some effort to catching up with Rory, even if it was improbable—but where would he be able to find an opponent at this hour? It seemed the only people walking the campus were the miserable people who had morning classes. He finally decided that his best bet was probably heading to the café near the administrative building. They served good coffee and a variety of breakfast foods, and provided an alternative to the dining hall, and so maybe someone there would be willing to duel.

Plus Cain could go for a cup.

Unfortunately, as one might expect, very few people from the Titus coffee conglomerate went to a campus café for coffee. Those who did had already lost their medals and were genuinely interested to know how the college students were getting their caffeine fixes. In other words, trying to further their knowledge of their careers. If only they'd shown that same level of interest in dueling, Cain might've had an opponent that morning.

Finishing his coffee and small pile of bananas, Cain headed out of the café and figured to head back to the dorm room for a bit. A trip to the Red Dorm involved heading south past the parking garage and the administrative building, one of the less scenic stretches of the campus. But it was a bit unusual this time.

Alerted by the cacophony of tones coming from his arm, Cain looked down to realize his Duel Disk, already turned on but in Standby Mode, just awoke on its own. "Hmm. That's odd," he noted. But then the Duel Disk shifted again into Duel Mode as his deck suddenly spat out five cards. "Not as odd as that, however. What's got you all riled up?"

"Hello?" Someone called through the tree lining the street. At this time of year, the trees were looking fairly bare, enabling Cain to see a young woman with red hair pulled back into a bun and wore a simple red blouse over a long, gray skirt.

"Hello?" Cain replied confused.

The woman smiled. "Oh! Hi, there. I'm Julie Riley."

"Cain Valin."

"Hi. My Duel Disk seems to be malfunctioning this morning. I can't figure out what's going on with it."

"Well, it appears to have locked onto my Duel Disk," Cain explained.

"I'm so sorry," Julie said, looking really guilty. "I must have damaged it somehow so it keeps sending random signals out to find an opponent."

Unblinkingly, Cain asked, "Why Battle Royale mode?"

Julie looked tilted her head. She was confused at first, but there was a glint of recognition in her eye. "Well, look who's so smart for a freshman."

"My parents always encouraged me. You know, you didn't have to trick me into a duel. I would have accepted gladly."

"What about us?" Two more people joined the fray: one a man with short, very curly hair and a woman with long hair down past her shoulders, both dressed in charcoal suits, though he wore a yellow, striped tie and she wore a skirt. The two of them looked clearly like they were also so accustomed to the lives of cutthroat businessmen that they saw suits as comfortable as t-shirts.

"Gladly might no longer be the most accurate word." This was clearly an ambush tactic, though Cain wondered how effective the three of them must be if they had to band together in order to win a duel. Then again, they survived the tournament this long, so even together, they must have something going for them. "I seem to be a bit outnumbered here."

"You are welcome to leave now," Julie offered, "but the Duel Disks have already initiated a Battle Royale. In order to shut it down, someone would have to forfeit, and according to the rules, a forfeit gets logged as a loss, which means forfeiture of all GX medals."

"A lovely little ploy you've developed here. Any chance Titus employs you with development programs?"

Julie just smiled. "So what's it going to be, cowboy?"

Julie and her cohorts intensified their cordial expressions when they realized someone else was coming down the walkway toward the café. He wore a Duel Disk, but it was incredibly old and looked like it was just dusted off for this tournament, but probably hadn't seen any use yet. The man himself was clearly old, close to retiring. He wore a casual getup—button-up shirt with a tiny collar, khaki pants, and comfortable shoes—he had glasses on his big nose, a big mustache under his nose, and thinning, gray hair on top of his head.

"Morning," he greeted generically with a nod. He looked to Cain and said, "Good morning, Cain. How are you?"

"Good morning, Dr. West," he replied. "You're up early."

"I'm just out for some coffee. I'm feeling a tougher day coming on than I originally anticipated. Are you getting ready to duel?"

"Julie Riley," the woman in red said as she extended her hand to Dr. West. "My partners Vicky Charon and Jordan McCurdy." The woman and man in the suits each accepted the handshake as well.

"Three-on-one sounds like long odds," Dr. West suggested.

"Better than a forfeit," Cain remarked.

Dr. West just nodded. "Fair enough. If you'll excuse me, I'll go get that cup now. Probably not as good as the stuff you're used to." With a friendly smile on his face, he walked into the café.

"You didn't try to convince him to help you out?" Julie asked Cain. "I guess you can't if the teachers can't participate."

"I also figured it wasn't my place to pull him into my mess. But thanks for your concern. Let's just do this and get it over with since the odds are so stacked against me. Who goes first? The puppet master?"

"I think I will," Julie agreed. "My Deck Master will be Scrap Recycler." The hologram standing next to her was a hodgepodge of metal parts thrown together as a mobile robot with clawed arms used to gather bits of shrapnel for collection within the receptacle on its back.

"Mine is Clockwork Shikigami," Vicky added. Beside her stood a child-sized apparition, with limbs thin like a mannequin's with two wind-up keys emerging from under its white toga.

"Doomcaliber Knight," said Jordan. His Deck Master was a cloaked warrior on horseback and wearing bone armor with a shield in one hand and a lengthy, tiered sword in the other.

Cain suddenly felt even more intimidated when he was actually facing down three opposing monsters. It was Battle Royale Mode; maybe he'd be able to sow a seed of distrust and take advantage of a little unrest among the ranks. Then again, these three specifically chose to join with one another for these ambush duels, and so the distrust strategy seemed unlikely to work. They were development people who spent their days thinking about the customer and how he thinks. Doubtful anything Cain said would be terribly unexpected.

"I suppose I'll take Giant Germ as my Deck Master." It was an airborne virus magnified millions of times until it was the size of a basketball. Julie and her friends looked perplexed. They each might know what Giant Germ is as a card, but the database of Deck Masters was a wide one and the normally weak monster might have a devastating effect on the duel.

Julie began her turn with a monster. It was a small monster with a green body shaped like a cog marked by bracket shoulders, a single eye, and pipe arms and legs. "Green Gadget (4/1400/1600) in attack. And by summoning this card, I get to draw Red Gadget from my deck to my hand. I'll also set one card and play Geartown." Suddenly the street turned into a big city with skyscrapers built from cogs and gears.

"I'll start with Machina Soldier (4/1600/1500)," Vicky said. It was a bulky, green, humanoid robot with a large blade instead of a hand sticking out of its right arm. "Its effect lets me summon Machina Sniper (4/1800/800) as well." This one was a copper-colored robot, lankier than the other one and carrying a rifle on its shoulder loaded with a missile filled with liquid and resembling a lava lamp. "I'll also set a card and end my turn."

Jordan had that kind of face that always stayed the same even when his mood changed drastically. "Um, okay? I'll discard three cards from my hand to summon Machina Cannon (8/+2400/2200)." Just like the name suggests, it was a giant, mechanical cannon with both the barrel and the sights aimed at Cain. "It gets 800 points for each machine I just discarded." He actually sounded almost nervous when he spoke. It made him seem smug.

"Great," Cain said. "I can't think of another army I'd rather stare down." He sighed as he thought about how quick this duel would be. "I'll set one monster and one other card. I guess that's about the best I can hope for when my opponents stack the machines against me."

"Don't worry," Julie assured him with what sounded like genuine pity. "We'll keep it quick." Except she wasn't keeping it quick. Each time she pulled on her deck, her card refused to come out.

"What's going on?" Vicky asked her.

Julie was unsure. "My deck isn't letting me draw. I don't understand."

Cain asked, "Are you sure it's your turn?" Looking at her Duel Disk, the lights as dim as everyone else's, Julie wasn't certain. But if there were four duelists and they each had a turn, it must be her turn again.

Suddenly Dr. West exited the café with a cup of coffee in his hand. He moved like he was in a hurry—that kind of shuffle that men his age use to replace their old ability to jog. As he got closer to the duel, a Kuriboh—a small, furry monster with no distinct features other than purple eyes and green feet—appeared right near him and his deck.

"Sorry, sorry," he said. "I wasn't expecting it to take so long to get through the line. Did I keep you waiting long?"

"Waiting for what?" Vicky asked.

Cain grinned. "If I had to guess, he was probably too close to the four of us when you activated that Battle Royale ambush program. The way his Duel Disk is currently lit up, I think he's been roped into dueling with us."

"Then we have to beat two people at once?" Jordan realized. Now he sounded much more nervous.

"If you want to win, that sounds like the right strategy," Dr. West joked. He set his coffee down gently on the ground and pulled five cards from his pocket. "I haven't really looked at my hand yet, so I don't know—Ah! I will summon…" He spoke slowly like he had difficulty articulating each play. "Beta the Magnet Warrior (4/1700/1600)." His monster was a yellow-bodied humanoid with no mouth and bipolar magnets on each hand and on its head, pointing up like horns. "I'll also place one card facedown. Can I attack yet?"

"I believe you can," Cain spoke. "Everyone has already drawn once."

"Okay. Now my Duel Disk says Battle Royale Mode. That means I can attack anyone, right? Even my student here?"

With a nervous look in his eye, Cain said, "Uh, technically yeah. But I, uh…"

"Then Beta (1700) will attack Green Gadget (1400)." As the yellow warrior moved to strike the green cog, a black top hat with a question mark in the center fell as a cover over the cog. Two identical hats appeared beside it, and the three hats shuffled rapidly.

Julie explained, "Magical Hats gives me a chance to protect my monster by making you guess its location."

"That's a classic," Dr. West said. "I'll attack the hat on the right." His magnet aimed at the hate on the far side, Beta's magnetism drew the hat toward him and caused Green Gadget to crumble as the hat disappeared. "People in this culture have a tendency to favor the left side when they make decisions."

"Then why attack the right side?"

"I went for _your_ left," Dr. West boasted gently with a soft grin.

Julie hummed. "Well, maybe you read the location of my monster, but I had another purpose. My other two hats get destroyed and sent to the Graveyard. That includes a copy of Geartown." The pieces of the discarded Geartown broke apart and took a new shape, each cog welding itself into the crooked form of a mechanical dragon. "Destroying Geartown lets me summon Ancient Gear Gadjiltron Dragon (8/3000/2000)."

"Undoubtedly that was your real intention with the Magical Hats. A very skilled move, indeed. I'll set another card and end my turn."

Cain 8000: Dr. West 8000: Julie 8000 – 300 = 7700: Vicky 8000: Jordan 8000.

"Now it's my turn," Julie said with a bit of intensity in her voice. "I'll summon Red Gadget (4/1300/1500)." This gadget looked similar to the green one, but it had a round body marked by a cog on its backside. "Summoning that lets me draw Yellow Gadget to my hand. And now I'll play Solidarity." Both of her machines suddenly glimmered as their frames became thicker and their attack points rose by 800. "Gadjiltron Dragon (+3800) will now attack Beta the Magnet Warrior (1700)."

Dr. West quickly said, "That won't do." His Trap called Shift rose from the ground, and suddenly Gadjiltron Dragon's course was thrown off. "What if it attacked Machine Cannon (2400) instead?" Compelled by the Trap and the Battle Royale, the cog-made dragon pounced on the massive cannon and, with a series of deafening clangs, completely destroyed the cannon. "I like that outcome better."

"Well Beta is still open for attack from Red Gadget (+2100)." Dr. West accepted that as a part of dueling. "I'll set one more card and end my turn."

Cain 8000: Dr. West 8000 – 400 = 7600: Julie 7700: Vicky 8000: Jordan 8000 – 1400 = 6600.

"My turn," Vicky said. "I'll set one monster and place another card facedown."

Jordan's eyes betrayed a little smile on his turn. "Um, okay. I'll activate Pot of Duality so I can take three cards from my deck and keep one of them in my hand." The field showed a large pot with a solemn, silver face offering three cards. But when the pot spun, the other side presented the contorted face of a goblin demanding two of the cards back. "The other cards get shuffled into my deck. And for now, um, I'll just set one card."

The last two turns certainly made Vicky and Jordan look like the weak links in their team, but Cain wasn't sure that would enable him to defeat three opponents. At least Dr. West was sure showing how he got to be headmaster. There was no better ally Cain would wish for.

"I'll start by summoning Shining Angel (4/1400/800)." Cain was joined by a toga-clad man with enormous, feathery wings coming from his backside. "Now I'll flip over my Newdoria (4/1200/800)." The fiendish monster looked like a zombie wearing a black breastplate and green pants. Sighing deeply and nervously, Cain said, "I'll attack Gadjiltron Dragon (3800)." The zombie lunged for the mechanical dragon.

"You're flushing 2600 points?" Julie asked.

"I don't care about the points," Cain replied.

"Don't worry," Jordan told her. "My Deck Master will negate that effect."

"No, it won't," Julie argued. "You don't have any monsters to Tribute. The effect can't activate without one."

As Newdoria was ripped to shreds by the dragon, the metal began to corrode from the acids within the zombie's body. Within seconds, the entire dragon disintegrated. "Now my Deck Master's ability activates." The Giant Germ replicated into a second one, and that second one turned into Newdoria (1200) in attack mode. "By inflicting 500 points of damage to all of us, my Deck Master will summon a duplicate when one of my monsters is destroyed by battle. So now I'll have _this_ Newdoria attack Red Gadget (2100)." This second zombie was shredded by the Red Gadget, but again the corrosive fluids disintegrated the machine, and Giant Germ summoned another Newdoria (1200) in attack mode. "I think now's a good time to attack Ms. Riley directly." This time, the zombie lunged at its target and managed to lumber away in one piece. Shining Angel (1400) also attacked, flying high and hurling a javelin made from light. "I'll set one card and one monster and end my turn."

Cain 8000 – 2600 – 500 – 900 – 500 = 3500: Dr. West 7600 – 500 – 500 = 6600: Julie 7700 – 500 – 500 – 1200 – 1400 = 4100: Vicky 8000 – 500 – 500 = 7000: Jordan 6600 – 500 – 500 = 5600.

"That was a nice turn," Dr. West complimented Cain. "I am impressed you so quickly pegged Ms. Riley as the biggest threat even though Mr. McCurdy's field is already cleared."

"Usually the duelist with the big monster and the full hand is a bigger threat. Lankford's Rules-of-thumb. It's like my bedside bible."

"Good. It will do you well. I will play Premature Burial to revive my Beta the Magnet Warrior. That will provide me with a Tribute for Dark Magician Girl (6/2000/1700)." A female magician clad in a blue costume well-cited for its short, pink skirt and low-cut top appeared on the field in place of the yellow warrior. "In addition, I will add Sage's Stone." The Dark Magician Girl channeled her energy into a sparkling, blue stone. As the stone pulsed with power, it drew out a spirit that took the shape of a tall man wearing wizard's robes. The spirit slowly materialized until it became the Dark Magician (7/2500/2100).

"You use such old cards," Julie commented.

"I'm an old man," Dr. West reminded her. "I believe a direct attack from these two monsters will end the duel for you, Ms. Riley, unless you can stop me. Can you?" He pressed the buttons on his Duel Disk to send Dark Magician to attack first. The tall wizard held his man-sized staff in front of him and charged energy in the green jewel.

Julie didn't look happy as she sighed heavily. "I can't."

"If I've read your deck correctly, and I'm correct about why you play so few Trap cards, you likely have Royal Decree to protect you from Traps. Am I correct?"

"A losing hand doesn't get revealed," she replied.

"I understand. In that case, Dark Magician Girl will also attack and deplete your Life Points." After Dark Magician released an attack through his staff, Dark Magician Girl launched a second attack from her rod. The combined explosive force was enough to shut down Julie's Duel Disk and stop her from ever activating her Royal Decree.

"I am not yet finished," Dr. West continued. "I will now activate Dedication through Light and Darkness to evolve the Dark Magician into Dark Magician of Chaos (8/2800/2600)." The wizard's robes turned to black leather, kept tight by numerous straps and buckles. His hat was black with lavender trim to cover his long, black hair, and he also carried a long staff with a lavender head and a blue jewel.

Jordan looked nervously to Vicky. "We were supposed to be taking down a whole bunch of students. The plan wasn't for the headmaster of Duel Academy."

"It was unfortunate," Cain said, "but that can sometimes happen when you rely on a strategy full of deceit and an unfocused computer signal. How unfortunate for you that your signal caught _every_ nearby, active Duel Disk."

"Faculty only get to participate in a single duel and I had a little time this morning," Dr. West confessed. "But let me finish my turn. Dark Magician of Chaos will attack the Machina Sniper (1800). That will end my turn."

Cain 3500: Dr. West 6600 – 800 = 5800: Julie 4100 – 2000 – 2500 = 0: Vicky 7000 – 1000 = 6000: Jordan 5600.

Julie scoffed. "If the headmaster is the problem, then take him out."

"Easy enough," Vicky said. "I'll flip Machina Defender, and his flip effect pulls Commander Covington from my deck to my hand." Machina Defender was a steady, immobile tank, propped by two heavy stands and sporting eight total warheads ready for use. "I'll summon a second Machina Sniper (1800) right now."

"Use this, too?" Jordan requested as he activated Ultimate Offering.

"Of course," Vicky said with a smile. She and Jordan were obviously not related, but they really did look alike. "Using the effect of Ultimate Offering, I'll pay 500 Life Points to summon Commander Covington to the field." Blood energy emerged from Vicky's body and took the form of a red machine, standing firm with its hand in front of its chest in a feudal salute as if to lead the small army. Suddenly Covington thrust its arm forward and the other machines began to change shape. "By sending my three Machinas to the Graveyard, I can summon Machina Force (10/4600/4100)."

Machina Soldier flipped over backward to open a port in its waist. Machina Sniper slipped its legs inside the open Soldier as if to wear the other machine as giant boots. Machina Defender's stand rotated back and opened up with the warheads facing down while its head swung back and separated downward. The Defender connected its main body around Sniper's shoulders and reached down to connect with the Soldier like a mechanical spine. Still holding the Sniper's rifle, Machina Force loaded one of its warheads into the weapon and prepared to fire.

"This is the time to activate my Deck Master's effect," Vicky announced. The apparition floating beside her was almost forgotten during the duel. "By permanently reducing the attack points of one of my monsters by 500, I can reduce the attack points of your monster to 0." Commander Covington (-500) shrank in stature, but his diminution was minimal relative to Shining Angel (-0). "Now I just pay 1000 Life Points to attack with Machina Force." The mighty, military machine fired the rifle and exploded Shining Angel in a cloud of flames.

When the flames disappeared, a Kuriboh floated in front of Cain, shielding him from the damage just before succumbing to the flames and disappearing. But another Kuriboh remained by Dr. West's side.

"If I discard from my hand," Dr. West explained, "then Battle Damage from a single attack is negated."

"But my Deck Master still gets to activate," Cain added. "500 LP to each of us, and I get to have another Shining Angel (1400)." A second fairy appeared on his field where the other one exploded. "And by Shining Angel's effect, I get to summon Winged Kuriboh (1/300/200) in defense mode." Very similar in appearance to Dr. West's Deck Master, Cain's monster was a small fur ball with two white wings on its back.

"That's all I have for now," Vicky said.

Cain 3500 – 500 = 3000: Dr. West 5800 – 500 = 5300: Vicky 6000 – 1000 – 500 = 4500: Jordan 5600 – 500 = 5100.

"Well, this is an interesting coincidence," Jordan said. "I have Machina Force as well, but I don't have the monsters to summon it. So, um, instead I find myself discarding it to summon Machina Fortress (7/2500/1600) from my Graveyard." This machine resembled, to a degree, a motorcycle merged with a tank. Two treaded, triangular wheels on either side of the box body carried the bulk of the weight while a third wheel in front of the body offered stabilization. A Gatling gun was mounted on the left shoulder. "We will attack that Shining Angel (1400)." With the sights of the Gatling gun aimed at him, the second Shining Angel dropped to the ground in a hail of bullets. With its own effect, the destruction of Shining Angel summoned another one to the field.

"That was gruesome for a card game," Cain said. "Is it my turn now?"

"One card facedown first," Jordan said. "Now you can go."

Cain 3000 – 1100 = 1900: Dr. West 5300: Vicky 4500: Jordan 5100.

"You've set up a tough situation for me, with ever-dwindling LP," Cain admitted. "If I were ever going to pull off an upset, it would be right now. I'll offer Newdoria as a Tribute to summon Sky Scourge Invicil (6/2200/1600)." Cain's monster was a Burtonesque demon, limbs long and lanky, skin pale white, and hair preventing an outside view of his eyes. "Right now, all Traps are negated by Invicil. That leaves excellent room to remove three Newdoria and a Shining Angel from play to summon Sky Scourge Norleras (8/2400/1500)." The streets shook as a giant fiend erupted through the pavement, showing only its torso covered with spikes and bandages. "For 1000 LP, Norleras will wipe all cards from all fields and hands." Norleras slammed his bandaged hands on the ground, and the darkness spread from his body. It slowly consumed everything on the field and in every player's hand—itself included.

"The Sky Scourges are dangerous cards," Julie said, "and largely for this reason: You've left yourself defenseless."

"Not necessarily. I get to draw one card. Maybe it'll be a good one." He picked up his top card and narrowed his eyes with intense confusion. "Or an extreme coincidence. By removing two Shining Angels, Winged Kuriboh, and Norleras, I can summon Sky Scourge Enrise (8/2400/1500)." The third of the Sky Scourges looked similar to Invicil but with wings growing from his back and hair smoother in appearance. Somehow, this one seemed to exude the most power of the three. "I may as well attack Ms. Charon directly." The godly creature appeared to thrust his very spirit forward and smother Vicky with it. "And, seeing as I have no other cards to play, that will end my turn."

Cain 1900 – 1000 = 900: Dr. West 5300: Vicky 4500 – 2400 = 2100: Jordan 5300.

"Stop," Vicky uttered with defeat in her voice. She placed her hand over her deck and deactivated her Duel Disk. "Our ambush didn't work this time. The student has a clear advantage over us right now and I don't see us beating the headmaster of the academy."

Jordan nodded. He didn't seem even the slightest bit upset. "Yeah. We've already earned a decent bonus getting this far. Besides, I don't really feel right using this strategy anymore."

"Easy to say when you're losing," Cain agreed, but he kept a friendly face. With a very brief farewell, Julie and her colleagues abandoned their GX medals and congratulated Cain on outsmarting them.

"I suppose I should forfeit, as well," Dr. West said as he deactivated his Duel Disk.

"Why?" Cain asked. Playfully, he added, "Don't think you can take me?"

"Maybe not. It wouldn't make much difference, anyway. The rules say I can only participate in one duel during this tournament, and I'd say that was as successful as any I've had."

"But a forfeit means the logs will show you as a loss."

Appearing shocked, Dr. West said, "On, my. You're right. I guess that means I have to give you my GX medal, too, doesn't it?"

Cain smiled when he realized Dr. West intended to do that all along. "Ah. Well played, Sir. It was an extreme honor dueling alongside you."

"I enjoyed it, as well. Thank you for entertaining me this morning."

* * *

For a Yellow duelist, Maikeru was doing exceptionally in this tournament. Quite possibly, he was learning a lot about strategy from his regular, casual duels against his roommate Matt. But despite his impressive showing, it seemed like he finally found an opponent he couldn't handle, and it came in the form of a giant wearing a flowing cape, wielding a large hammer, and commanding the lightning itself.

"What is that monster?" Sean asked from behind his best friend. "It doesn't seem real."

"I haven't seen a monster like this since the God Cards," Maikeru agreed.

"You are not far off," spoke his opponent with the youthful voice. "Thor is actually named for one of the gods of Norse mythology, and his power is comparable to his namesake. For all intents and purposes, he is a god."

Sean asked, "How can you hope to beat a god?"

"That's a good question." Thinking about the old Guardian Duelers—how they were able to overcome the power of the God Cards—and Matt who defeated them all, Maikeru took in a deep breath and realized, "This card is no god. Let me prove it.

"I'll summon Necroface (4/1200/1800) to the field." At first, the appearance of the monster was that of a porcelain doll's head, but suddenly pieces of the head blew out as an indistinct organism with fleshy skin and a multitude of tentacles began to burst from its hiding place.

"Again?" his opponent asked. It was a fair question. Maikeru had already removed Necroface from play three times, and he just spent his last turn using a demon called Shutendoji to return it to his deck. Now he played it yet again.

"With good reason. Each time Necroshade was banished, we removed cards from play. By summoning Necroface instead, all those cards get returned to our decks. And Necroface (+4200) gains 100 points for each card returned." Now the sheer volume of Necroface's pulsing aura was even greater than Thor's (3500). The tentacles whipped across the field and cocooned Thor's body, drawing the aura straight from his body before he vanished.

Lightning struck the field, blinding the duelists and preparing the field. A second bolt struck and returned Thor (10/3500/2800) to the field in all the might he once had.

"You've played a strong duel, Maikeru. Not many can defeat Thor even once, but fewer still have ever beaten him permanently. For you, I'm afraid this is where the duel comes to an end."

The end of the duel was nearly a blur to Maikeru—an almost ethereal sequence of events like something out of a bad dream. What he remembered was handing over his GX medals to the man who seemed so unimposing at the duel's start yet so brutal and strong by the duel's end. Even before the man added Maikeru's GX medals to his collection, Maikeru caught a glimpse of his jacket:

Both sides were lined with medals.

* * *

_This duel was not that tough to write considering the word count. Then again, it only occupied about three turns per player. Regardless, it needed to happen. This was close to the duel I wanted for Dr. West's debut. (I originally thought of it as simply 3-on-1)._

_Next time, Matt finally stumbles onto the Ghost Duelist and finds clues to his true identity. The first (chronologically) of the Horsemen steps into the duel arena to protect the Ghost and complete the next step of his plan. Will he be able to defeat Matt?_

_Credits:_  
_Cain Valin...FE96jAFFAR_  
_Maikeru Stone...onyxshade7_  
_Sean Bivins...DarkVestroia2_


	31. Patrol

Chapter 31: Patrol

"That really sucks," Matt admitted as Maikeru recounted his duel. Matt basically had his face buried in schoolwork, scribbling an essay outline even while he and his roommate spoke. "Sorry you got knocked out of the tournament. I guess that means you have more time for your schoolwork."

Maikeru, in contrast, was playing video games. "Yep. Now it's up to you to win this thing for Kaiba Corp."

Suddenly Matt snorted, followed closely by choking on his drink. "I'm out already. Didn't I tell you that?"

"Uh, no! I think I'd remember that. I'm surprised you're not drowning your sorrows in Kasumi's chest. What happened?"

Matt blew an indistinct raspberry like he was using noise as a distraction while he searched for words to say. "No sorrows to drown. It was a dumb little experiment I was trying with my dueling ability. It turns out I can't win a duel if I put zero effort into it."

Maikeru took that as metaphor. "What happened? Who beat you?"

"Just some Titus grunt named Iñaki. He was pretty good, but things would have ended differently if I weren't screwing around the whole time. At least I learned something from that duel."

"Was it that you duel better when you don't think so much?"

Matt stopped and gave Maikeru a look with a hint of disgust. "Don't be stupid. Dueling isn't an instinct. It's a conscious process. People who win and attribute it to instinct either underestimate their intelligence or they're lucky."

"I'll keep that in mind. How long ago did you lose?"

"Last week. My second duel. You ever notice that so many of Titus's good duelists are practically kids? Iñaki was, like, sixteen. Maybe a little older, but he was _my_ age. I thought we'd be dueling old people."

"Old people can't walk around the quad all day."

Matt grinned. "Fair enough."

"Well, I heard Dr. West finally played in a duel and kicked some serious ass."

"I assume your point is: He's old."

"Exactly."

"Yeah. Slight difference when you're old and in charge of the world's premier dueling school." He looked up from his essay. "I guess I just figured out why all the Titus guys are young all by myself."

"Just make sure you proofread your essay before you turn it in. Wouldn't want any references to old guys in an essay about the gambler's fallacy."

"I thrive on logic," Matt commented. "So tell me about the guy who beat you. What was he like? What kind of deck did he play?"

"He was a nice enough guy: _young_, unassuming. But he had some kind of Nordic deck that carried a whole lot of power with it. And he had this one card named Thor that he compared with the god cards."

"The God Cards?" Matt's attention was finally drawn from his essay.

"Yep. I can't exactly tell what it is, but something about that card reminded me of when Bryan played Uria against you. And its effects were off the chart. I destroyed the thing but it came right back to the field. Major pain in the butt. That guy might not be beaten by anything short of another god card. Did Bryan take all of them?"

Matt practically stared through Maikeru as he shook his head. "I don't know. I didn't know he had Uria."

"Didn't they all disappear after that thing with Pr. Kawamura two years ago? Maybe they were still somewhere nearby and he found one."

"Anything's possible," Matt agreed.

"I know a few people started searching around the old Guardian Dueler house ever since then," Maikeru said. "They're like treasure hunters hoping to find a few god cards that everyone else thinks disappeared. Too bad there isn't a metal detector equivalent for finding god cards. I'll bet a couple of those Wicked Gods that Maya used would fit nicely in my deck."

"How many people are searching?" Matt asked. It seemed odd Matt would suddenly start caring about the conversation. It started as small talk for him, but now he was more engaged since Maikeru mentioned the god cards than at the mention of Kasumi's chest.

"I don't know. I know Sean and I have tried to find them. Vic's flunkies were out there for a little while, and I saw that new guy Logan a bunch of times. I don't think anyone found anything." Looking from the game to Matt, he asked, "Are you worried about ownership? You think they should be yours since you beat Maya?"

"Of course they should be," Matt insisted, trying to sound smug. "Considering what they did last time they were in use, if anyone's going to put people into comas, I've earned that right."

"Well, dangerous or not, those cards are as rare as it gets and if someone finds them, you can bet they'll end up in that person's deck. I know _I_ wouldn't be able to help myself."

"Who could blame you?" Matt replied, looking nervous. He tapped his pencil on the desk a couple of times before dropping it and standing up. Throwing on his Academy jacket, he said, "I think I'm going to take a quick, completely unrelated walk. Maybe I'll swing by the Blue place and visit with someone."

"Right." Sure, the Blue Mansion was home to Matt's girlfriend Kasumi, but Maikeru knew his roommate well enough to know they were having trouble. Matt had a "second girlfriend" in Aurora Ruiter, but Matt was definitely more interested in joining the search for the God Cards. "Do you have any idea where they are?"

"Right across from the quad."

"I wasn't talking about the Blue Mansion."

"I know what you were talking about."

But he still didn't answer the question.

* * *

When Bryan and Matt defeated Maya Kawamura, her lackeys, and all nine God Cards, they found themselves in possession of all the cards. Tradition held that the strongest duelists in the school protected the god cards, but those very same duelists had just been overcome by the will of the Shadow Realm and driven to collect spiritual energy from the student body. Bryan and Matt agreed to hide the god cards until they could figure out a way to seal their power away again.

But then Bryan fell prey to some new darkness—maybe a new form of the Shadow Realm or perhaps something new… He decided to reclaim his former god card in light of his new power. Matt looked for the gods earlier in the deadnettle grove where they were buried, but all nine were gone. He just assumed at the time that Bryan took them all, but word of the treasure seekers reminded him of another possibility: Bryan may have taken Uria alone and left the others behind. After all, Uria was the one card Bryan legitimately possessed, and it didn't make sense for him to favor that card over others that would fit more readily into his Hero deck.

As Matt approached the familiar sight of the rare, white flowers, he heard someone in the area whispering. Two voices distinctly, one of which was soft and eerie while the other was tough and rambunctious. He immediately recognized the Blue Duelist with the world's biggest ego, but who was he talking to? Staying low and quiet, Matt snuck forward hoping to catch pieces of the conversation. The sun hadn't set fully yet, so he couldn't get too close without being seen.

He only caught the tail end of something said by Logan Wilson, the only guy at school so proud of his arms he actually ripped the sleeves off a two-hundred-dollar jacket. He said, "…took Death from us at a critical time."

The hidden man chuckled at Logan's concern. His chuckle was low and sent a shiver down Matt's spine. No doubt, Logan was meeting with the Ghost Duelist.

"They didn't take Death from us," the Ghost said. "My friends from the Hellfire Club believe he will help them bring about a god who will protect the longevity of this world in exchange for a few human souls."

"So they want a different god?"

"Of course. The true god is sealed to prevent entry to our world. I allowed Death to go to Santa Barbara for two reasons: He will upset the Hellfire Club's plans, but that is the only location of Maximilian Pegasus, the one capable of breaking the seal I placed within Death himself."

"He's an old man. What can he do?"

"Old does not equate to 'weak.' More often, it equates to 'prepared.' It is up to us to mark all the sacrifices before that time. We are almost there." Suddenly his voice became louder as he said, "Come out, Mr. Luther. Hiding doesn't suit you."

At first Matt considered the Ghost Duelist was bluffing about seeing him, but he quickly concluded that such a bluff would be pointless. He stepped out into the clearing and gazed upon the two men. Logan was tensed and ready for a fight, and the Ghost Duelist stood just a few feet behind him. He wore baggy clothing and had long, silver hair gleaming in the moonlight, but his head was obscured in the shadows of the trees.

"How did you know I was there?"

"You shine brighter than the moon," the Ghost said.

"I do?" He looked himself over, but nothing seemed different from normal.

"I am shocked you do not see it. That power within you is vast."

Logan added, "Even I see it."

Matt knew there was something in him he couldn't quite grasp. That spirit of the Uncreated… But for now, he was interested in the issue before him. The Ghost Duelist was right here. This was his chance to identify the one lurking the school grounds at night and terrorizing the students with urban legends.

"Care to step forward so I can see you?" Matt asked.

With a soft hum, the Ghost replied, "No, I don't think I will. It serves me better to remain a ghost to you."

Suddenly a beam of light struck the Ghost in the face, dispersing the shadows and revealing his face. "Suit yourself," Matt said, aiming carefully the flashlight he held. The Ghost's face was young and stern, yet it was familiar. The triangular shape of his face and his heavy, black eyebrows were clear to him. "Potter?"

The Ghost turned away from the light and growled, "He's useless to our plans. Get rid of him." He darted off into the trees.

"With pleasure," Logan replied, cracking his knuckles.

"Come back!" Matt shouted as he started after the Ghost. His path took him right by Logan, who threw a punch. Matt expected as much, and he caught Logan's hand in the air. Instead of retaliating, he pulled on Logan's arm and gave his back a push, causing him to stumble. Matt pulled a similar move hundreds of times through his high school football career. That was how he moved around linemen to reach the quarterback.

But even though the move caught Logan by surprise, he was quick to react. Unlike any lineman Matt previously encountered, Logan swung his leg back around and caught Matt in the stomach. The force shoved Matt into a tree as he doubled over.

"Weren't expecting that, were ya?" Logan asked as he started dancing in place, keeping himself light on his toes.

Choking air back into his lungs, Matt answered, "Not really. I need to know what Potter did to Bryan."

"You shouldn't worry about him. The Ghost is just planning the Apocalypse."

"The apocalypse?" Matt repeated. For some reason, he didn't doubt Logan's words. "He's going to end the world?"

"If he doesn't do it, somebody else will. At least this way it happens on _our_ terms."

"And you're okay with that? The end of the world means _everybody_ dies. That includes you."

"I'm a direct servant of the Apocalypse. That means my spirit will endure permanently at God's side."

"Your spirit? You believe in that?"

"After your encounter with the God Cards, I'm surprised you don't realize it. Everyone has a small portion of the god Aiwass within to grant the qualities that make us human. Those who do not worship god will perish in the rapture as Aiwass reclaims the pieces of his spirit he lent them. But the people who have truly connected with Aiwass will survive the rapture because they are already one with him, and he has no need to withdraw their spirits when they are already part of him."

Matt clenched his teeth, looking for any opening he could take to follow the Ghost Duelist. "What makes you think your spirit is pure enough to survive?"

"Weren't you listening? I am a direct servant—" He grunted as Matt sprang to his feet and plowed his shoulders into Logan's belly, pinning the Horseman to a tree. But Logan had thick skin and endured the collision quite readily. After Matt let go and Logan fell to his knees, Matt tried to run past him, but Logan grabbed Matt's ankle. Matt might've been able to power through if Logan hadn't also twisted his ankle and snapped him to the ground.

"I know it's unusual for me not to be the star," Logan taunted as he twisted Matt's ankle again until it popped. Matt let out a short howl of pain and yanked his leg away. He struggled to sit up while Logan had no trouble getting to his feet. "But the Ghost is the man with the plan here, and I'm just the muscle. I can't let you get to him and ruin anything." With that, he swung his leg again at Matt's ribs. Matt managed to lean back and absorb some of the blow with his hands, but Logan pulled back quickly and laid into Matt's face with his fist. To Matt, it felt like the time his foster father hit him with a beer bottle. Even though Matt was down, Logan kicked him twice more, hard.

"You're a lot weaker than I expected. Weren't you a football player? I've met Girl Scouts with more fight in them."

"Playing football means I'm strong and fast," Matt clarified weakly. "Fighting wasn't part of our daily practices."

"Too bad. I'm versed in many styles. I'd love to get at you with my two swords, but the administration here is so puritanical."

"No swords on school grounds? Such radical ideas!" Matt mocked him.

"Yeah. But I'm doing just fine with my bare hands." He stepped forward and leaned in again to plow another fist, but Matt quickly sat up and grabbed the hand, pulling with the inertial force and planting Logan's hand in the dirt; he took the brief opening as a chance to pop Logan in the nose. Despite the pain, Logan stomped on Matt's ankle, stepped back, and then smacked Matt with the back of his fist. Matt felt like the world spun around him as Logan spewed out a noseful of blood and then repaid Matt with a second punch to the face. As the taste of copper filled Matt's mouth, his head throbbed and felt intense nausea come over him.

"This is kind of fun, considering you're a terrible fighter," Logan admitted. "It's been a while since anyone made me bleed. I keep underestimating you and leaving myself open. I guess the best way to prevent that would be to beat you senseless."

"A duel!" Matt blurted.

Surprisingly, Logan stopped short of hitting Matt again. "Did you say 'a duel'?"

Matt spit to clear the metal taste from his mouth. "It's pretty obvious to both of us who beats who senseless when fists are involved. But you and I have never dueled before." Considering Logan hadn't hit him yet, he figured to increase the appeal of a duel. "Wouldn't you like to see if you can beat me down with your cards, too?"

The idea of dragging down a guy he already beat up did sound like fun. "I'm certainly not going to lose to a Yellow." Looking at Matt, who was dressed in casual clothes, he said, "But you don't even have a Duel Disk."

"Or the ability to stand. There's a duel station just out of the woods. Why not use that?"

Considering Matt was unlikely to run with his ankle in that condition, Logan decided to accept the proposal. He grabbed Matt by the arm and lifted him off the ground with surprising ease as he helped Matt hobble to the duel station. Matt was confused by Logan's willingness to help him move, but he opted not to press his luck by asking why.

The duel station they found was just behind the Marufuji building. This was the same duel station Matt used one time when another student broke into Lucy's room and snuck out with her duel deck and her underwear. Interesting memories attached to this table, in other words, as Matt remembered that he was the first to pursue Lucy.

"Are we going to get started?" Logan asked. "I hope you're not too distracted by the pain to duel."

"I'm used to pain," Matt confessed. "I was just thinking about Lucy's underwear."

"Which one's Lucy?"

"Nevermind."

As Matt looked through his deck for a Deck Master, he remembered how much faith he tried to place in the Uncreated last time to win the duel for him. Clearly the Uncreated didn't hold as much sway over the dueling deck as Matt thought it did. This time instead, Matt needed to go all out to avoid wasting time.

"I'll summon Athena as my Deck Master." Athena, a beautiful woman in white who embodied the Greek goddess of wisdom, seemed the smartest opponent to someone who served to bring the world to an end. She would also make his Darklord deck play faster than usual.

"You really do have girls' underwear on the brain," Logan remarked. Motioning toward Athena, he asked, "Do you think she's wearing any?"

"You could check, but I doubt it will be any more fulfilling than viewing a naked Barbie doll."

"Then you think it's worth a look?" When Matt groaned, Logan smirked. "Okay. Here's the card that best represents my spirit of War: Commander Gottoms, Swordmaster." Representing Logan was a powerful, majestic warrior clad in a full suit of silver with a red cape and wielding a broadsword as big as Logan. "Challenger goes first, right?"

"I usually play a game of Rock-Paper-Scissors."

"You preface a game with another game?"

"No worse than flipping a coin before a football game. But because you insist, I will go first." Matt drew his opening cards and was pleased with his start. "I'll set one monster and two cards."

"That's it? I expected more. I'll summon XX-Saber Boggart Knight (4/1900/1000). Normal summoning him lets me summon X-Saber Pashuul (2/100/0)." Logan's first monster was a muscular man wearing silver armor, with three horns on his head and one on each elbow, and carrying a laser-like rapier. Right beside him stood a smaller man, compensating with bulky armor and wielding a wide-tipped broadsword. "And with two X-Sabers on the field, I get to summon XX-Saber Faultroll (6/2400/1800)." This was muscular man in red wielding a sword too large to be swung by anything less than his two bionic arms. "And I'm not done yet.

"Boggart Knight and Pashuul tune to form XX-Saber Hyunlei (6/2300/1300)." Crossing their swords in the shape of an X, the two warriors began to shine, and their lights merged to create a female warrior clad in blue and gold, wielding a Chinese sword over her head. With movements too fast to be seen, Hyunlei produced four slashes of her blade in quick succession, shredding Matt's set Traps. "When she's summoned, I can destroy up to three Spells and Traps. Finally, Faultroll's effect summons Boggart Knight (1900) back from the Graveyard." Once more, the silver-horned knight appeared on Logan's field. "How's that for an army?"

"You lied about their attack points," Matt mumbled.

Logan grinned. "So you noticed. Commander Gottoms' ability as a Deck Master automatically increases the attack points of all X-Saber monsters by 200 points. I don't care what monster you've got; it's toast. Go for it, Boggart Knight (+2100)." Stabbing the rapier with pinpoint accuracy, the silver warrior pierced the side of a small, white jar. The jar toppled under the force and showed a formless face inside—one eye with a wide grin. Darkness spread from the jar and blanketed the field, including all of Logan's warriors.

"You attacked Morphing Jar #2 (3/800/700)," Matt explained, "and doing that activates its flip effect. All of your monsters return to the deck, and now you pick up cards until you find three monsters. Summon the ones Level 4 or lower, and discard the rest."

"Decent defense," Logan admitted as he gladly shuffled his two monsters back into his deck and returned the Synchro to his Extra Deck. "But three monsters is still a decent army for me."

"Two. Your Synchro monster doesn't count because it didn't return to your deck."

As Logan picked three cards from his deck, he said, "Nonetheless, I get to summon X-Saber Ragigura (1/+400/1000) and X-Saber Airbellum (3/+1800/200)." Ragigura was a bipedal chameleon armed with blunt-end daggers, and Airbellum was a bipedal wolverine clad in black with three hooked claws protruding from each fist. Ragigura planted his daggers in the ground momentarily and pulled up a card. "Summoning Ragigura lets me put Pashuul back in my hand. And both of my monsters still have the chance to attack you directly." Ragigura popped Matt twice with its daggers, and Airbellum cross-slashed heavily with one arm and stabbed with the second. When it pulled its arm away, it pulled one of Matt's cards. "A direct attack with Airbellum means you lose a card from your hand."

"Suit yourself," Matt said.

"Yeah. I'll set one card and end my turn."

Matt 8000 – 400 – 1800 = 5800: Logan 8000.

Matt squeezed his eyes shut in hopes of dispersing the pain of his headache while he pressed on his jaw where Logan hit him before. It was tough trying to think three moves ahead while his head was ringing, but at least he had a play for the moment.

"I'll play Trade-In and discard Superbia to draw two more cards. I'll activate Celestial Transformation." A bright light flashed on the field and revealed a winged angel with white skin and black armor. "With its effect, I can summon Darklord Asmodeus (8/-1500/2500) directly from my hand. Unfortunately his power is halved, but it'll do." As soon as the fairy hit the field, Athena began to charge energy into her staff. The energy dispersed very rapidly and struck Logan's field. "Athena's ability is to inflict 600 points of damage to you every time a fairy is Special Summoned to my field." Asmodeus charged white energy into his hand and pointed at Matt's deck. "And once per turn, Asmodeus sends a fairy from my deck to the Graveyard. More importantly, I'll summon Dark Valkyria (4/1800/1050)." A silver-haired woman adorned in blue-and-purple armor and with metallic, black wings on her back descended to the field, prompting another blast from Athena's staff.

"Neither of these monsters is threatening to Airbellum (1800)."

"I'm not done. Athena has a second ability. By sending Valkyria to the Graveyard, I can summon Darklord Superbia (8/2900/2400) to take her place." The second of the fallen angels was a living black chalice with a winged cup as its torso, a crystalline base, and a red face on the side. "When Superbia is summoned, I can revive Dark Valkyria (1800)." The winged woman reappeared on his field.

"You would make a good minion for War," Logan commented. "Care to join the side of Armageddon? We have great health care and even full dental."

"I'm okay. I'll settle for attacking." Superbia collected energy into its gourd momentarily and then allowed it to burst into the air, mindfully redirecting the energy straight toward the wolverine, incinerating it instantly. Valkyria buzzed across the field and thrust her gauntlet into the chameleon to destroy it. Asmodeus released another blinding burst of energy directly at Logan. "That's all for me. But because Asmodeus was summoned with Celestial Transformation, he gets destroyed." The white angel disappeared in a flash of light, but he left behind two energy streams that compiled into smaller replicas of the fallen angel. "When Asmodeus is destroyed, he leaves behind a blue Asmo Token (5/1800/1300) and a red Deus Token (3/1200/1200)." In response to each new monster, Athena cast another burst of energy at Logan. "Your turn."

Matt 5800: Logan 8000 – 600 – 600 – 600 – 1100 – 1400 – 1500 – 600 – 600 = 1000.

"Your OTK deck is as strong as ever," Logan commented.

"It's been better. I usually don't miss."

"My turn begins with Dark Hole." A black hole appeared in the center of the field and expanded around the entire field, closing again with everything inside and shrinking to the size of a dime before it exploded and the energy dispersed. The only surviving piece was the Asmo Token (1800).

"Now it's time to declare war. I'll start with Rescue Cat (4/300/100)." The summoned monster was the size of a housecat wearing a hard hat. "Harmless-looking, right?"

"Totally," Matt agreed dryly. Rescue Cat was one of the best known cards at the Academy. It rotated on and off the ban list every other week for its ability.

"By sending Rescue Cat to the Graveyard, I get to summon X-Saber Airbellum (3/+1800/200) and XX-Saber Darksoul (3/+300/100) to the field." One more wolverine appeared on the field, snarling at Matt's field and raring to go. Darksoul was a small man clad in a red cape and billowing pants, wielding a scythe with a thick, heavy blade. "On top of that, by having two X-Sabers on the field, I get to summon the same Faultroll (+2600) you previously put back in my deck." Once again, the man in red with the enormous sword and the bionic arms to wield it graced the field with his presence. "With his effect, I can summon a second Airbellum (+1800) from the Graveyard. And I now have four monsters able to trample your undefended field!" Faultroll pulled his sword over his head with such force that it tore right through the Asmo Token's armor. Each Airbellum performed another successive slash-and-stab on Matt, but Matt's hand was empty and so their effects were useless this time. Darksoul whipped the scythe around with surprising ease and slashed heavily through Matt's Life Points. "My hand is empty now, too, so my turn is over."

Matt 5800 – 800 – 1800 – 1800 – 300 = 1100: Logan 1000.

Matt was slow to reach for his deck, and Logan noticed. "I'd be hesitant, too, if I were facing down the spirit of War. How does your head feel?"

"Like I was punched in the face." But more than that, Matt was torn. When he picked up this next card, what was he going to see? Would it be the result of blind luck, or would the Uncreated that resided within his body somehow influence the deck and pick his card for him?

As he concentrated on his deck, he felt a wave of power brush his skin and make his hair stand on end. His eyes drifted up, and for just a moment, he saw the air pouring off Logan's body like a white flame. Matt's eyes adjusted quickly as he lost sight of the air, but he could still feel the power coming from his opponent. It was unnatural power, and it felt like it rivaled that of the Uncreated.

_Aiwass,_ Matt thought clearly, hoping his words could reach. _That was what Logan called the god of the Apocalypse. Do you know anything about him?_

He awaited an answer, but he heard no response… at first.

_Matt…_

* * *

Like drifting off to sleep, Matt suddenly found himself in an empty space, completely white and devoid of all solid matter, save for himself and the vague, fading appearance of a man with the lower torso of a golden bird. Although the image was one Matt was unable to recall in his waking hours, it was familiar and he felt reasonably comfortable with it.

"You can still hear me," Matt told the spirit.

_I always hear you._

"I thought you influenced my duels. The tournament passed for me without so much as a whiff of you."

_The seal on my power has only been cracked. I cannot influence your life for long._

"But you can influence what happens to me?"

_Yes. You face a particularly dangerous enemy. There is every chance you may defeat him alone, but if you wish, I will help you._

"Can your power really affect the cards in a deck?"

_An explanation of my power extends beyond the scope of three-dimensional physics. One day if we are ever truly one, you may understand._

Matt was frightened for the idea of losing a duel to a man promoting the end of the world, but his heart also felt guilty even asking for help from another. "Have you been influencing my cards all this time?"

_I cannot deny the possibility that my unconscious energy that passed the seal and heals your wounded body may also influence the world around you. Aiwass is an old soul, one of few to hold a distinct consciousness within the Higher Realm._

"Distinct how?"

_The realm of ultimate consciousness which many humans refer to as _heaven_ is a collective consciousness. Everything that ever is, was, or will be exists as part of the consciousness, with rare exception. Aiwass is one such consciousness distinct from the collective, but able to draw from it as immense power. He once dwelled in an underworld at the end of its life. He may wish to see that world reborn within this one._

"He'll destroy this world in order to turn it into another one?" Matt took in a deep sigh. "Can you guarantee me a card that will help prevent that from happening?"

_Though the seal limits my power, I will offer you everything I can. Your safety is necessary._

* * *

As Matt's vision returned to the field and he gazed upon Logan's face, he could once again see the white flame that surrounded the body of his opponent. That flame represented the power given to Logan as part of Aiwass's plan to merge the earth with another dimension. As Matt moved his hand toward his deck, he could see yellow energy drifting from his fingers in a similar vein. The Uncreated was a perfect match for the power Aiwass offered.

Just as promised, the card Matt drew was the only one in his deck capable of combatting a four-monster army.

"My field is empty," Matt said. "Because of that, I can summon this monster without a Tribute."

"Cyber Dragon?" Logan anticipated. "I thought you removed those from your deck."

"I did. This card is different." A heavy, purple haze covered the field, obscuring Logan's vision of Matt's card. What he could see was human in shape, but it did not look entirely human. The arms were like pieces of pipe attached to enormous claws. Its chest was purple and reflective, appearing to show the image of a human face. "This is Metaion, the Timelord (10/0/0)."

"A Timelord?"

"Yes. When I control no cards, this one can be summoned without Tributes. Now I'll attack." Metaion stretched its blade-like wings and reached out with its arms, and its torso took on the appearance of Faultroll. Despite the energy emanating from the Timelord, Faultroll swung his mighty sword in retaliation, but even his strength couldn't scratch the surface of the Timelord's body.

"Attack? Do its points skyrocket somehow? You're basically killing yourself, not that I wouldn't like to see it."

"No attack increase. Just immunity to Battle Damage. And one little effect that sends you backward in time." The energy Metaion emanated remained on Logan's field. The purple haze caused each of the cards to fade until they disappeared from the field and returned to Logan's deck. "After an attack, Metaion sends all other monsters back to their decks… and inflicts 300 points of damage to you per monster!"

Matt 1100: Logan 1000 – 300 – 300 – 300 – 300 = 0.

Logan suddenly went rigid as his four monsters left the field. Matt saw the white energy withdraw into Logan's heart and then just as suddenly disperse like a small puff of smoke. He moved to check on Logan, but as soon as he stood, he remembered what Logan did to him as he slammed on the ground with pain shooting all the way up from his ankle. He felt the wound on his lip reopen. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out his cell phone and started pressing buttons without being able to see the screen.

"Please be quick. Officer Potter is the Ghost Duelist."

* * *

_Is the Ghost Duelist's identity a surprise? In a future chapter, I'll go through a sequence of previous events that foreshadowed this revelation. I didn't get a chance to proofread this chapter, so I offer my preemptive apologies for typos. This was a tough chapter to finish, but there are a lot of little pieces of the story within it. Some of the details spell the end of the story and some point to the next portion. I've never been a great choreographer, but the short fight scene between Matt and Logan was a little fun to write. (Too bad Matt's not a fighter like Jonouchi.)_

_Next time, the underground Duel Club is crashed by members of the Sins. What are they planning? Will Vic or his team be able to resist the compelling power of Lust?_

_Credits:_  
_Maikeru Stone...onyxshade7_  
_Iñaki...tiramisu19_  
_Logan Wilson...MercWithTheMouth13_


	32. Den of Degradation

Chapter 32: Den of Degradation

The underground dueling club was hopping tonight. For the first time, one of the competing townies dueled on the same level one might expect from a Duel Academy student. Not only that, she was pretty hot. She went by the name Val. She rented Leila Locklear's deck and was absolutely cleaning up against one of the dinosaur decks Vic rented out. Her opponent used a sweet Big Evolution Pill play to summon Super Conductor Tyranno (8/3300/1400), but before he could attack, Val used Book of Moon to turn it facedown and in defense mode before it could destroy her Mystic Swordsman LV6 (6/2300/1700).

"That was pretty lucky," the guy said. "That's a big dinosaur that would have crushed you."

"And now he will crush you," Val remarked. With a wink, she asked, "You like being _crushed_, don't you?"

The guy suddenly felt weak in the knees. The look in her eyes made him forget about everything around him except that he was still fully clothed. "Oh, crush me," he begged.

"As you wish. Mystic Swordsman will attack your facedown tyrannosaurus. His effect destroys any facedown monster instantly." Her swordsman—a long-haired man dressed in blue with a white cape over his torso—performed a swift spin move with his dual swords, fast enough to make each blade appear as long as a whip. The move sliced the other card in half without revealing what it was. "As a second effect, your monster goes on top of your deck instead of to your Graveyard."

The guy started to groan, but then his expression turned to a smile. "Alright! The effect of Big Evolution Pill lasts for another turn. That means I'll get to summon my Tyranno right back!"

"You won't have another turn," Val corrected him. "I'm activating my facedown Conscription." A crowned monarch appeared on the field and began proclaiming broadly toward the opponent's deck. "I get to pick up the top card on your Deck, and if it's a monster that can be Normal Summoned, I get to Special Summon to my field instead." She swung her hips a bit extra as she approached her opponent to take his card from him, and the tight jeans she wore really accented her figure. "Thanks, sweetie." She blew him a kiss as she walked back to her side again, giving her rear a little extra shake with each slow step. The guy almost fainted.

"Don't fall asleep on me yet," she told him.

"I'd love to fall asleep on you."

She cracked a seductive half-smile. "Super Conductor Tyranno (8/3300/1400) comes to my field." Like the extinct tyrannosaurus, the monster occupied great field space with its bulk, notably its enormous legs, heavy tail, and massive jaws. Pieces of the dragon were decked out with cybernetic armor that might have come from a member of the Cyber Dragon family. The air around it was charged electrically. "Seeing as it's still my Battle Phase, I think I'll let your own Tyranno end this duel for me." The Tyranno charged its body with a powerful roar, and its mighty tail struck Val's opponent, removing the final 3100 points from the scoreboard.

"Great game, cutie," Val said as she blew a kiss to her opponent and then turned to walk away, holding every guy's attention as she moved.

Even some of the women were entranced by Val's entire package—her appearance, her demeanor, her walk… Vic and Ty watched her with lust in their eyes when suddenly Hayley uttered, "Damn." Not the angry kind, but the impressed kind signifying her appreciation of what Val had to offer. Of course, it drew puzzled looks from the guys. "What? She's hot."

"No, _that's_ hot," Ty replied.

Vic felt an opening to say, "You know that fantasy I have between me, you, and a player to be named later?"

"You have my permission to ask." Vic never felt more in love than at that moment.

Val walked past Carter Jade, perhaps the only guy uninterested in her appearance as he snacked consistently on popcorn next to the duel field. "Nice work, Lust," he said as she passed by. She tousled his hair as she passed, but that still didn't draw his attention away from the next duelists who stumbled onto the field, unable to prepare a graceful duel with their eyes glued to Val's rear. Carter just wanted to see some duels.

The one who dueled against Val eventually left the duel field, but he took a sudden dive when he reached the bounds. He knocked into the cement floor of the fire house pretty hard, but a couple of women diagnosed him with a minor cut and exhaustion, probably brought on by Val for giving him a prolonged high heart rate.

Vic understood the effect. His heart rate increased tremendously as he locked eyes with Val. She often looked away just briefly to stroke the cheek of one of Vic's high rollers, but she was coming his way, and he'd have to be some kind of asexual crazy person not to stare at her curves while she walked.

"Vic!" His trance was finally broken by Clyde's shout, but he wanted it back. He liked being lost in those perfect eyes. But Clyde broke his trance more permanently with the one thing he cared about more—the book sheets.

"What is this?" Vic asked. "Why are the numbers so low for tonight?" He browsed the list quickly. "Baptiste bet only once? He doesn't even get out of bed for less than a C-note! What's going on tonight?"

"Money trouble?" Val asked as she got close. She was even more gorgeous up close where Vic could smell her perfume. It was sweet and made his head feel comfortable enough for him to fall asleep right then and there. Except that Clyde's record of the betting transactions suggested people were not betting tonight the way they always had.

"A lot of men who come in here for the thrill of betting on the almost sheer luck of townies dueling one another have offered relatively no money tonight. These are risk-takers who have made good money starting restaurant chains and retail outlets on this island. They can't have run out of money to spend already."

"Maybe they are just waiting for a really interesting duel?" Val suggested. She reached out and lightly touched Vic's chest.

"You be careful how you touch him," Hayley said to Val as she stepped in front of her boyfriend. "I'm liable to get jealous."

With a seductive smile, Val said, "I would never dream of leaving you out of the action." She traced her hand down Hayley's arm and took her fingers, raising Hayley's arm to give a good look at the shape of her body. "You're even more beautiful than he is."

"You'd better believe it," Hayley replied.

"I just thought maybe Handsome Victor here would like to set up a real challenge for his crowd—the kind of challenge nobody could turn down. Now that I have established my talent with your games, I would like the opportunity to duel against the man who set up this entire operation."

"You've got it," Vic said, eagerly pushing Hayley aside and pressing himself close to Val.

She smiled. "I thought you might even throw in your own kind of wager: say, your GX medals."

"They're on the table," Vic agreed completely willingly.

"One thing to note," Clyde said to Val. "This is not a sanctioned event. Kaiba Corp. doesn't even know about it." Ty pushed him and told him to shut up. "What? I'm just saying that if she _does_ happen to win, she's really just earning the chance to rig and official duel later where Vic will lose and give up his medals."

"He won't lose," Hayley insisted as she punched Clyde in the arm. Looking Val right in the eye, she asked, "What are you leveeing against the GX medals?"

Val lightly placed her hand on Hayley's hip. "Absolutely anything you want."

Hayley's adrenaline surge forced her heart to skip a beat. "You've got it."

"Good. Then let's go, handsome."

Clyde stepped in again. "Vic, you can't duel yourself in there."

"It's okay, dude," Vic said, patting Clyde on the arm. "I cleared it with the boss."

"But the boss also established this place as somewhere Duel Academy never interfered. I know this woman wants a shot at dueling against the resident master, and she is very attractive although the nose piercings kind of ruin it for me, but that has to be arranged ahead of time and promoted well. If we do it this way right now, you compromise the infrastructure you've built and you keep your potential winnings minimal."

"Marketing isn't everything," Vic argued.

"You taught me marketing is _everything_. Give it some time to let word travel so we give people a chance to look under the cushions in the couch and get every little penny wagered. Those were your words."

"I said that before I got this kind of offer," Vic said.

"Then give your deck to a townie and let him duel for you. Don't ruin the intrigue of the club. She can duel because she's a townie, or she can pick another townie to be her avatar. She can even reuse Leila's deck."

"Which one's Leila?" asked Val.

"She's the one working the bank tonight," Ty pointed out the blonde girl logging the bets and locking up the money.

Val raised her eyebrows with surprise. "Well, you tell that girl that I'm impressed with how she built her deck. I'm getting credit for that Mystic Swordsman/Conscription combo, but if she's the one who built the deck, she may be even smarter than I am."

Ty eagerly took the deck back from Val just for the chance to touch her hands. "I'll definitely pass on your compliment." Val smiled at him, and Ty continued to hold her hand as long as he could. It ended when Vic shoved him.

"Don't spoil her skin with your sweaty hands." He held up his arm for Val to take. "Shall we go duel?" Val smiled and put her arm in his.

Clyde grumbled, "Vic…"

Vic stopped and huffed loudly. "Oh, fine! I'll give my deck to someone else to duel for me! Sheesh!"

The current duel wasn't done yet as Vic and Val moved toward the front of the crowd. Much as he wanted to end the duel prematurely and push his way to the center stage, Jiminy Clyde managed to convince him that doing so would be even worse for his income. They ended up waiting just long enough for a young woman to grab Vic's attention.

"Excuse me. Are you the one who organized this gathering?" Her voice was sexy enough until Vic turned around and realized her was looking at a member of the adjunct faculty. Her head just reached his chin, her hair was straight, black, and shoulder-length, and her skin tone was darker with a half-Asian nationality. Working as a professor and as a Master's student at Duel Academy, Erica Dawkins was drawn to the fire house this evening.

"Pr. Dawkins," Vic said sheepishly. "What are you doing here?"

"Well, I watch the news every morning before classes and I noticed there was a string of people with empty wallets having accidents in the middle of the night. Some of them had chafing on their arms indicative of wearing a Duel Disk for the first time. Eventually, that led me here."

Hayley made a face. "We're not responsible for any accidents. Whatever happens after they leave here is on them and them alone."

Erica sighed. "What about him?" She pointed to Val's earlier opponent—the one who took a swan dive without a pool to land in.

"His attention was on her," Vic insisted, pointing to Val, "and he tripped while he wasn't paying attention. Again, not our fault."

"What about them?" The two guys with the Duel Disks were on their feet, but each of them looked a lot woozier than when they started the duel, and neither one had his eyes on Val. "You're going to blame their sudden weakness on her, too?"

"She makes me weak in the knees," Hayley replied.

Erica looked at her for a moment, confused at first until a look of realization passed over her face. "Always nice of you to join us, Serpentina."

As far as all students tend toward insanity after dark, Hayley was a special case. She suffered from dissociative identity disorder, or multiple personalities. Most of the time, she was Hayley Wilson, a pretty girl who spent her time fending off eager boys and awaiting the day she might be reunited with her long-lost brother. The rest of the time, she was Serpentina, a pretty girl who chose to respond to every situation with her exact impression of the situation. If she felt physical, she spoke that way. If she thought someone was an idiot, she said so, and sometimes also demonstrated her point physically.

Unfortunately, Hayley stopped going to see her psychiatrist when he abandoned Duel Academy as the scapegoat for the Ghost Duelist. Whether she felt like she couldn't trust anyone else or she had the impression things were under control—maybe they were considering how rarely Serpentina poked her head out these days—Hayley decided to drop the help. Erica doubted she could change Hayley's mind in this environment.

But Val was more of a threat than Serpentina. Erica conjectured, "Somehow you're draining their spirits."

Val scoffed. "That's awfully open-minded for a professor."

"I was the former owner of Hamon, Lord of Striking Thunder. I know the feeling of drawing out someone else's spirit to bolster your own. And these people all demonstrate the early signs. I'll bet you were here every time someone left this place and got in an accident."

"How much would you be willing to bet?" Val countered harshly.

Erica suggested, "How about the bet you had with Vic?"

"You want a night with me?"

"Uh, no. I want to void Vic's wager."

Vic protested, "Hey! She challenged me!"

"You're under some sort of spell," Erica said. To herself, she muttered, "It's called _hormones_." Louder, she said, "I'll duel in your place. You two can discuss your other wager later. I just don't want you to throw away your GX medals on a wave of horniness that will pass soon enough. If it helps you rationalize, you can pretend I'm blackmailing you with exposing this unauthorized club." Vic didn't have an immediate response to that.

Val considered the change in scorecards. "A duel against a professor instead, and one who used to wield a God Card. I suppose the exchange rate is high for you."

"Good." Erica looked to Clyde and asked, "Who's next? Let's set them up with my deck and hers."

"You got it, Pr. Dawkins."

The next duel was between a young cook and a wealthy executive of a fertilizer plant. Tommy Caruthers was a cook at the Duel Grille diner. He had a permanently unshaven look, but his charm was what earned him the position of hosting the diner's Open Mic Nights. He was a soft-spoken young man everyone liked for his courteous behavior and positive attitude. In contrast, James Flores was the senior VP of the only fertilizer supplier to Kazuki's farmland. A little shorter in stature and with a head shaved clean, he looked bigger simply by the way he carried himself. Shrewd and ruthless in business, he had a level head and a soft spot for his employees rarely seen in TV executives.

Val selected Tommy as her avatar because he succumbed to her charms easily and made a better stooge, Erica suspected. She hoped the traits that made James an effective businessman would keep him level in the coming duel. She had no idea what kind of tricks Val might try.

Unlike the usual avatars, James stopped to introduce himself to Erica while he waited for the other duel to end. She recognized his name from the newspapers listing him as the city's most eligible bachelor, which generally meant simply "the richest single guy in town."

"So my reputation precedes me," he noted. "I'm afraid that gives you the advantage on me."

"Erica Dawkins. I'm an adjunct professor at Duel Academy."

"That's lofty status for one so young," James commented ironically. He couldn't be older than thirty by Erica's eye and he was running a successful business on a secluded island where he received virtually no help from his billionaire father. "My father exiled me here as a way of proving myself. But it's not so bad. Under Kaiba Corp.'s strict supervision, the air is clean, the environment is clear, and the island really is quite breathtaking."

"I agree, though I hope not to stay here forever."

"Why haven't you followed every other duelist's dream and joined the pros?"

"What makes you think I'm good enough?"

"Well, as difficult as it is to obtain the position of Duel Academy professor without first building an impressive résumé, you don't carry yourself like an adjunct professor. Your voice is strong and you walk tall. You have a commanding presence about you; otherwise you may not have been able to drag Mr. Rocks there out of his lust-inspired stupor."

"You saw that?"

"The lady is certainly attractive," James admitted. "But entering himself into a duel here would have spoiled the integrity of the system he arranged. Even if a townie, as the students call us, performs well, the second a trained student steps in and smacks us down, the allure fades. The beauty of this setup is in the fantasy. As long as we are provided the opportunity to duel the way we imagine the pros do, and to witness duels that make us think we, too, have the chance to become champions, there will always be a crowd clamoring for participation. That's what makes this racket so profitable."

Erica smiled at him. "You know what Vic's doing here?"

"Just because I turn a blind eye to the way my money is bounced around here doesn't mean I can't figure it out. Mr. Rocks has certainly created an enduring system here."

"Too bad he had to break the rules to do it."

"Despite the illegality of the program, you'd be impressed with the system he has. I've examined the numbers and the outcomes every time I've been here. He's making very good money here for a bookie. He has an understanding of statistics rarely seen in students who shun general education courses. I assume that promise he shows is why a professor has not yet turned him in."

She smiled a guilty smile. "You see all that, do you?"

"It may be my father's company, but I didn't get put in charge of this plant without learning a few things about business first."

"Have you ever dueled?"

"When I was a kid, it was a fantasy of mine to be a champion. Then my father convinced me that fantasy is all it was. I studied literature, history, and linguistics nonstop after that. The chance to feel like a champion with a champion's deck on my arm is why I come here tonight." His smile was very plain and not very big, but it was just perfect to come across as friendly without creepy.

"I'm glad to have you represent me," Erica told him, shaking his hand. "I hope you're up for the challenge. This will be, uh… different from typical duels."

"Life is a series of challenges," James told her. "Let the games begin."

Erica spent little more than a minute introducing James to the monsters of her deck during the brief time it took to end the other duel. Just as Erica described, the two duelists each left the field with the strength of men who'd spent a half-hour doing heavy lifting. Ty and Clyde helped them find seats to catch their breath until the room stopped spinning. Meanwhile, Erica and Val took their places behind their human dueling avatars.

"I'm told that the challenger goes second," Tommy relayed as Val whispered in his ear.

James put on an amused, half-smile. "Well, if that's how it goes, who am I to argue?"

Tommy nodded, looking a little nervous with Val standing right behind him. He clearly didn't want to screw up when she placed so much pressure on him to win. "To start off, I'll summon—"

"Uh uh," Val squeaked behind him. Tommy looked back to her and shifted the cards in his hand, noticing her reaction to each one.

"I mean I'll set a monster… and one other card," Tommy finally said as two cards appeared in front of him on the field.

Erica looked indignant. "Hey! No kibitzing!"

"Don't you feel a bit cheap winning like that?" James asked Tommy.

Tommy whispered back loudly, "She's really hot."

James didn't seem to agree. He readily moved his eyes from the opponent's body to the cards in his hand. When he placed his hand on a card, he heard Erica gasp softly. "Sorry," he said to her with a quick glance. "I'd like to try this without any advice. Why spoil the fantasy?" Erica didn't mind the fantasy just as long as he won. Fortunately, her deck was fairly easy to use, with card effects that were reasonably simple as long as he took the time to read them. He regularly shifted the cards around his hand as he read through the somewhat lengthy effects.

"I'm surprised a rich guy hasn't learned to go with his gut," Val mocked him.

"Gut reaction may provoke lucky plays, but they lose out in the long run. A man who doesn't stop to consider his actions doesn't stay rich for long." He finally smiled as he settled on one of them. "I'll summon Crystal Beast Topaz Tiger (4/1600/1000)." The monster James chose to summon was a white tiger with saber teeth and blade-like horns on its head and feet. A single topaz was embedded on its neck. "With this beast, I'll attack your monster."

"Alright," Tommy said. A large, copper-toned turtle with a cinderblock pyramid as a shell appeared in a flash as Topaz Tiger's teeth shredded the card. "My card was Pyramid Turtle (4/1200/1400). When that's destroyed, I can summon a zombie from the deck. A weak one, right?" Val didn't speak to him as he fingered through the deck, but he did jump suddenly when he reached a certain card. Neither Erica nor James was certain why. "I'll summon Skull Servant (1/300/200)." It was a human skeleton wearing purple monk's robes. Val leaned forward and nudged him heavily. "Oh! I'll activate Chain Destruction." His facedown card rose facing him, and a hook-and-chain fired from the card, passed through Skull Servant, and entered the deck on the Duel Disk. Following the effect, he sent two more copies of Skull Servant to the Graveyard.

"How odd," Erica muttered. "That's not Leila's deck. In fact, it doesn't seem to match any of the rental decks."

"Are you sure?"

Erica nodded. "Skull Servant tends to stand out. She must have slipped in her own deck."

"Well, that shouldn't matter," James said hopefully. "I have a professor's deck with me." He elicited a smile from Erica. Turning back to the field, he said, "I'll conclude my turn after I play Crystal Tree." Its appearance on the field was that of a small tree devoid of foliage.

Tommy glanced back at Val, who whispered something in his ear about her desired strategy. "Okay. I'll summon Zombie Master (4/1800/0)." With a face pale as a ghost, the summoned monster looked like an undead boy with long white hair and loose clothes dirtied by life underground. "If I discard this monster to the Graveyard, Zombie Master's effect summons it right back." The Zombie Master held up his hands and struck the field with purple lightning pouring from his skin. Immediately, a pudgy amalgam of various monsters emerged from under the ground. Its skin was largely purple, but its body was out of a Mary Shelley novel. One leg appeared to primate in origin, but the other was clearly hooved. Likewise, one arm may have belonged to a primate, but the other was closer to that of a koala.

"Interesting creature," James commented.

"Yeah. Plaguespreader Zombie (2/400/200) is a… tuner." He had to re-read the card to get that word. "That means I can combine it with Zombie Master to summon Revived King Ha Des (6/2450/0)." The field grew suddenly dark like a black cloud descended. Suddenly an entity emerged as if wearing the cloud as a cloak. Its head was small relative to its overall size, with green skin that contrasted with its golden headdress. Connecting the headdress to the cloak was a skull. "This guy's bigger. And you have no Traps waiting, so I'll attack." Ha Des appeared to glide across the field and consume the Topaz Tiger under the cloak, leaving no trace behind. "You like that?"

"Not really," James admitted, a little annoyed that Ha Des negated the famous effect of the Crystal Beasts, which turned them into crystals after destruction. Instead of staying on the field, Topaz Tiger was sent straight to the Graveyard.

"Too bad. Just for fun, I'll also attack with Skull Servant." The way the skeleton lifted its arm and dropped it back down made it appear completely harmless even though it scratched James's Life Points. After considerable coaching from Val, Tommy added, "I'll also play Foolish Burial so I can send King of the Skull Servants from my deck to the Graveyard. And I place a card facedown. Your turn now."

James 8000 – 850 – 300 = 6850: Tommy 8000.

"There appears to be more than one way to put Crystal Beasts on the field," James realized. "I'll summon Crystal Beast Sapphire Pegasus (4/1800/1200)." The summoned beast was a brilliant, winged unicorn with a sapphire horn marking its forehead. "When this card is summoned, I can play another Crystal Beast from the deck as a Spell; I choose to play another Sapphire Pegasus." Though his white Pegasus stood proud on the field, a large, round-cut sapphire appeared on the field behind it. It represented the crystallized essence of a Sapphire Pegasus. The Crystal Tree fruited a round gem, like a Christmas ornament. "Now I choose to attack your Skull Servant (300)." With little effort at all, the mighty Pegasus gored the robed skeleton with its brilliant horn.

"She wants the Skull Servant in the Graveyard," Erica cautioned him.

"I know. I have rarely seen a piece of bait dangled so defenselessly in front of me before. But that's exactly why I obliged. I want to see what she has planned." Erica thought to herself what a shame it was a man with his spirit didn't stick with it when it came to a dueling career. "One facedown card marks the end of my turn."

James 6850: Tommy 8000 – 1500 = 6500.

Tommy smiled at the field. "It has come to my attention that now is the time to play One for One. By discarding The Lady in Wight, I can summon King of the Skull Servants (1/+5000/0) from my deck." From the collapsed body of a corpse wearing a noble dress emerged another creature. Very similar to the Skull Servant in appearance but with a much more regal posture and a deadly aura surrounding, the King of Skull Servants was a skeleton dressed in purple robes. "And apparently, I can activate Graceful Revival to summon a second King of the Skull Servants (+4000) to the field."

"Those are powerful zombies," James admitted calmly.

"Yeah. They gain 1000 points for each Skull Servant in the Graveyard, including The Lady in Wight because her effect makes her the same when she's in the Graveyard. So summoning a second one made my first one weaker, but now I have two of them."

"A solid business decision," James agreed. "That's enough to end the duel if you manage to clear my field."

Tommy smiled proudly. "Well, Ha Des negates your Pegasus's effect, so you won't get a second gem on your field. The only problem might be that facedown card. If it's something big like a Mirror Force, then I'm in trouble if I attack."

"Mirror Force is forbidden this week," Val pointed out. "Even if he manages to destroy Ha Des, we've got two other powerhouses to plow through this duel. Just go for it."

"Okay," Tommy said without argument.

James cocked a half-grin. "You duel like a man without a will of his own."

"He hasn't," Erica agreed. Glaring at Val, she asked, "What are you doing to everyone here? It's like you've forced them all to lust over you and do whatever you say on the off chance you'll reward them for it. How do you do that?"

"Jealous? Hoping to try it out yourself?"

"No, because I believe you are doing it through some kind of magical means."

"Magic?" James asked disbelievingly.

Erica didn't let his cynicism get to her, though. She continued with, "What are you planning?"

"What am I planning?" Val laughed. "You wouldn't understand if I told you. You're nothing but a pretend college professor."

"One who was consumed by the Shadow Realm. Try me."

She added another scoff. "It's like you said. I'm just siphoning off the duel energy from these people. Small amounts no one will miss from people who won't even notice it. The energy gives me strength, which I can use to play upon people's deepest desires and make them do whatever I want." She softly touched Tommy's back. "Get rid of her cards."

Tommy reacted like a puppet with Val's hand up his back. Ha Des (2450) flowed across the field again, consuming Sapphire Pegasus (1800) and disappearing every trace of the beast. "Like before, the effect is negated, so Sapphire Pegasus goes straight to the Graveyard."

"By battle," James finished. "That lets me play Crystal Pair." The ghostly image of Sapphire Pegasus appeared on the field and seemed to draw power from the deck until an amethyst gem appeared, somewhat pointed and shaped like a shield. The Crystal Tree fruited another crystal ornament. "When a Crystal Beast is destroyed by battle and sent to the Graveyard, I get to play another Crystal Beast as a Spell."

"But the crystals don't do anything," Tommy scoffed. "King of the Skull Servants (4000) will attack now." The skeleton opened its arms widely and tilted its head to the side as if contemplating a move. With a rapid clenching of the fists and a horrendous expression reshaping the skull's face, an explosion of darkness occurred in front of James. But after a moment of waiting, the air of the explosion dissipated around the topaz crystal.

"Oh," James uttered with a taunting tone. "I must not have mentioned that Crystal Pair also reduces all damage I take for the remainder of the turn to zero. Must have slipped my mind."

"Must have," Tommy laughed. "I guess I'm done for now."

James 6850 – 650 = 6200: Tommy 6500.

"I will begin my turn by sending Crystal Tree to the Graveyard. By doing so, I can play Sapphire Pegasus and Amber Mammoth from my deck as Spells on my field." Another round-cut sapphire appeared on the field, joined by a smooth, perfectly ovular piece of amber.

"You've given me one serious advantage here," James alerted Tommy. "You have an empty hand right, and that gives me a lot more freedom. I choose to express it with this card: Crystal Abundance." This was the card he kept in focus since the duel started. As soon as he read the effect, he knew it would be his trump. The crystallized monsters on his field shone brightly, and the energy spread like radiation, causing every card on the field to fade away. "The effect here is to send all cards to the Graveyard, and for each card you lost, I may summon a Crystal Beast from my Graveyard." The radiating crystals drew out three copies of Crystal Beast Sapphire Pegasus (4/1800/1200) to replace the two Kings and Ha Des.

"Ha Des was supposed to cripple a Crystal Beast deck," Tommy thought aloud.

"Apparently it was just an annoyance," Val noted. "But the duel won't end this turn."

"It will be close," James agreed. "First, each Sapphire Pegasus lets me play Crystal Beasts from my deck as Spell Cards." A shining red ruby, a hexagonal cobalt, and an octagonal emerald all appeared on the field behind the army of Sapphire Pegasus. James turned his head just slightly as if he had a small tick. Almost coldly, he said, "Now I'll attack." In rapid succession, all three Pegasus darted across the field and thrust their horns into Tommy. "Why don't you take a turn? It should be an eventful one without a hand." He smiled to rub in his smugness.

James 6200: Tommy 6500 – 1800 – 1800 – 1800 = 1100.

"This duel is all but over, and the odds are highly stacked against you," Erica said to Val. "Why not preserve your pride and quit now?"

Val scoffed. "Pride isn't my sin, but I am stubborn." She placed her hand on Tommy's shoulder. To the naked eye, there was nothing special about the touch, but Erica caught the faintest whiff of shadow energy seeping from Val's hands and entering Tommy's body. "Draw your next card, Tommy."

Tommy showed no obvious signs of being affected by anything other than hormones. "Okay." He picked up his card and smiled widely at it. "Wow! What are the odds? I get to summon the third and final King of the Skull Servants (1/+6000/0)." This skeleton king stood taller than the others, and the energy pouring from its body turned the air black.

"How in the hell did he manage to draw that card?" Vic asked loudly from behind the duelists. Erica wondered the same thing, though she kept her composure better.

"Well, it's no army of Sapphire Pegasus, but this King gains the extra 2000 points from the other two kings. You'll feel this attack." The King cocked his head to the side again, and with a clench of the fists, one Sapphire Pegasus exploded in darkness, spraying pieces of sapphire everywhere.

James 6200 – 4200 = 2000: Tommy 1100.

Erica muttered, "It may not be the Shadows exactly, but you have some kind of power inside."

"The End of Days is coming," Val finally said. "At least I'm on the winning side."

"The End of Days? What do you mean by that?"

"Never mind. Your unicorns can't beat King of the Skull Servants. What's next?"

"Let's find out," James challenged. As he drew his next card, he said, "You've inspired me with your never-say-die approach to dueling. I'll set one card, and for extra protection, I'll switch both Sapphire Pegasus (1200) to defense mode. Now all you have to worry about is one little facedown card. What will it be?"

"I'm gonna attack," Tommy assured him. The King once again obliterated a Sapphire Pegasus, covering the field in shards of sapphire. He read through the effect on his card and looked to Val for permission to set it.

James chuckled. "That's a bluff, and not a very good one." To Erica, he explained, "I've seen plenty of men try to bluff their way through business deals." Back to the field, he said, "Before your turn ends, I choose to play the facedown card I set last turn. It is called Rainbow Gravity, and because I have seven different Crystal Beasts between my field and my Graveyard, the Trap summons Rainbow Dragon (10/4000/0) to the field." The ultimate crystal beast was a white, serpentine dragon whose scales were studded with gems the color of the seven Crystal Beasts. The very appearance of the dragon caused the duel lights to shine brightly.

"That's not stronger than the King of the Skull Servants," Tommy pointed out.

James nodded. "No, but as Miss Dawkins pointed out to me before the duel, the key is to summon it on your turn." With his card having resolved and Tommy with no other cards to play, the turn ended and James's turn began. "Now I can activate Rainbow Dragon's effect: I choose to send every Crystal Beast on my field to the Graveyard in order to give their strength to the dragon." Sapphire Pegasus turned into a sapphire gem and, with the other three, disappeared from the field by merging with Rainbow Dragon (+8000). "Doing so boosts this dragon's points by 1000 per Crystal Beast." As the dragon's luster grew ever brighter, James said with a somber tone, "It seems your King isn't the only one capable of a massive point increase." A seven-colored ring appeared in front of the Rainbow Dragon's open mouth as a white blast of energy hurtled across the field, shimmering with all seven colors. The explosion of energy dissipated King of the Skull Servants and blinded anyone looking directly at the duel.

James 2000: Tommy 1100 – 2000 = 0.

As soon as the Duel Disks shut down, Val passed out onto the floor, and Tommy swooned as if recovering from a blow to the head. He fell to his knees and used his hands to hold the floor steady beneath him, but he never lost consciousness. The effects on James and Erica were minimal: a fleeting wave of fatigue.

James leaped to assist his weakened opponents. "What happened?"

Tommy exhaled harshly. "Whoa. I've never felt that dizzy before. Did that really just happen because I lost a card game?"

"I don't see how," James said with a sigh. His gaze drifted to Erica. "Unless there's something going on here beyond the laws of physics."

* * *

Vic got help from some of the other guys at the club to carry Val's unconscious body outside after Erica called the paramedics. He certainly didn't want to draw unnecessary attention to his duel club, and he probably tried to cop a feel during the trip. Lili could think of no better opportunity to approach Hayley with some questions.

"Who are you?" Hayley asked her.

"Lili Von?" the small girl answered. She sounded discouraged. Maybe she didn't spend her days standing on top of the administration building shouting personal praises, but she figured herself noticeable enough. She was very thin, and she decorated her arms with henna tattoos that she redid every few weeks. This week, her arms looked like part of a costume for the Riddler.

"Doesn't ring a bell."

Lili settled quickly. "Oh. You must be one of Hayley's alternate personalities. All I want to know is: How often is that guy here?" She pointed past the crowd to the heavyset student with the big bucket of popcorn.

"Carter? He's here every day. Why? You want me to set you up?"

"No!" she said with a bit of disgust in her voice. But to be fair, she would react that way no matter who the guy in question was. "He's put on weight recently. Is he always right next to the duels like that?"

"Always with a tub of popcorn. Are you sure you don't want a hookup? Big guy like that would probably dig a little girl like you."

"Let me know when Hayley comes back," Lili said, storming off. As she walked, she wondered if maybe she should approach Pr. Dawkins with her theory. The popcorn was just a ruse; Carter was gaining weight by feeding on the energy of duelists.

* * *

_That came out longer than I planned. My notes listed Tommy and James as "random townies." Admittedly, Tommy wasn't a random choice, having appeared earlier as a potential love interest for Rory. Any thoughts on James? He won't become a main character, but he may recur once in a while, just like Erica. I kinda liked him._

_I hope I got the duel right this time. Props to **tiramisu19** for pointing out last week my error with Morphing Jar #2's effect (Logan's monsters should have been face down)._

_Can you name the Four Horsemen following the Ghost Duelist and fighting for his goal? Next week, Kasumi will discover the identity of the quietest and deadliest of the Horsemen. Will such information spell an early apocalypse for her?_

_Credits:_  
_Vic Rocks...Iron-Arm-V_  
_Hayley Wilson...TeamRocketDiva_  
_Carter Jade...Jaden2010_  
_Leila Lockhart...windraider_  
_Lili Von...Happy2BMe_


	33. The Fourth Horseman

Chapter 33: The Fourth Horseman

"Come back!" Matt shouted. He tried to follow the Ghost, who made no effort to move stealthily and seemed, instead, to aim for every single branch on his path through the trees. But Matt didn't get far when War took a swing at him. Matt used a nice little parry to evade the attack, but then War deftly kicked back and caught Matt in the stomach with his heel.

"Weren't expecting that, were ya?" War asked as he started dancing in place.

_Probably not._

Trying to recover from having the wind knocked out of him, Matt answered, "Not really. I need to know what Potter did to Bryan."

_Potter? Was that code, or did Matt see the Ghost's face? Maybe he recognized the guy._

"You shouldn't worry about him. The Ghost is just planning the Apocalypse."

_The Apocalypse…_

"The apocalypse?" Matt repeated. "He's going to end the world?"

"If he doesn't do it, somebody else will. At least this way it happens on _our_ terms."

That comment finally elicited a scoff from Kasumi. "Our" terms used to include her until the Ghost discarded her and the other Sins. Now Greed was trying to find a way to subvert the Ghost's plans and take his prize. Kasumi normally wouldn't have agreed to help except that Greed played on her envy; she was jealous of the three people the Ghost did keep behind to act as his Horsemen.

Kasumi had challenged War before and lost summarily. She desired a rematch to regain the sense of worth War took from her, but it seemed as if War would end up dueling Matt now. Perhaps Matt would defeat him… and that thought made Kasumi envy her own boyfriend! What was this power he possessed that she couldn't make her own? Even War had a power that was nearly Matt's match, yet she couldn't measure up. After very brief consideration of stepping in, Kasumi opted to leave Matt and War to settle the matter themselves. She wanted to find out where the Ghost was going. She dashed away, moving much more swiftly through the trees.

He hadn't been to the hideout in the woods since the day he dismissed the need for the Sins. Kasumi doubted he spent any wasted time on campus anymore. For him to be here out of uniform meant his plan was finally moving forward. It couldn't be much longer. She had to find out what he was planning if she was going to help Greed beat him to the punch.

But wait. What was he planning? War said he was trying to bring about the Apocalypse. What did that mean? It couldn't be literal. War and the Ghost would end up killing themselves. It must be a metaphor.

Curiously, the path the Ghost took circled back in the direction he came from. Surely he wasn't concerned enough to go check up on War. He never cared about Matt before, either. So where was he going? At least when he turned, he slowed his movement. He became much quieter and stealthier, but he was easier for Kasumi to follow. The Ghost hadn't gone to their shanty in the woods in a long time, so maybe he had another on-campus hideout.

And it looked like the winner is the Guardian House. The former home of the Guardian Duelers—owners of the Egyptian God Cards and the Sacred Beasts—was located at the edge of the woods, far enough from the campus dorms to provide reasonable cover. It was a small, two-level house with six bedrooms and two bathrooms for the select students who earned special accommodations. But it hadn't been in use since the god cards went missing and the majority of the Guardian Duelers graduated. Kasumi guessed that's what made it a good hideout. The Ghost must have snatched a key somewhere.

They kept the lights low to avoid attention, too. Kasumi could barely make out the Ghost's silhouette as he moved from the foyer to the sitting room. He was talking to someone else, but she couldn't see who. It must be Famine; War was busy with Matt and Death was across the ocean in Santa Barbara. The Ghost finally seemed relaxed. This was the perfect opportunity to find out what he was planning. Just turn the knob softly and slowly. It was old, but at least it didn't rattle. Now the door. Please don't let the hinges creak…

Perfect. Not a sound, but now Kasumi could hear the Ghost and Famine talking as she leaned close to the door.

"A duel between them won't spoil the plan, but it will require additional measures to catch up. If we assume that light inside Matt gives him the edge over War, the first seal will be broken within the hour."

"And that means we'll lose War," Famine concluded.

"Zealous as he is, he has been our least effective Horseman. He enjoys playing with his victims too greatly to achieve a proper mark."

"How has he performed so far?"

"A mere half of the marks achieved by you, and a third of the marks achieved by Pestilence."

_Pestilence? There's a fourth Horseman?_ _What marks?_

"How close are we?"

"Close enough to afford the first seal," the Ghost admitted. "We are running out of marks, however. The fifth seal will remain unbreakable until the total quantity of spiritual energy is great enough. I may have to send you into this underground duel club."

"The Sins have been spending time there draining duel energy in their own way. They won't react well to my presence," Famine pointed out.

The Ghost chuckled. "They are insignificant. They believe they will be able to intercept our plan and complete it to their own ends—no doubt a plan masterminded by Greed. He wishes to have what I seek. He does not realize I expected this role from him. By competing with me, he makes your task easier. He is already marked by the darkness. Every duel he completes marks another. If he and the others remain in the duel club, we will not need to participate."

"Then this was your plan all along when you discarded the Sins."

The Ghost verified, "Knowing their personalities, I let them believe I had no use for them in order to see their activity increase. Even Wrath served his purpose, though I scarcely expected him to lose so soon."

"We don't need him. But what will happen if War loses a duel now?"

"The first seal will break. The energy will strengthen Pestilence until such time as she suffers defeat and the second seal is broken."

"That will make me stronger," Famine concluded.

"Precisely." He hummed softly as he considered the course of events. "I had planned to be finished already before Death was whisked away. With him here, spreading the mark of darkness would be that much quicker."

"Why did you let him go?"

"Death serves us another purpose. Some old friends of mine wish to achieve the same goal as we do, and perhaps they believe stealing Death from us will enable them to finish first. They will find Death is the harbinger of ruin. And while he is there, every duelist he confronts will obtain the mark of darkness and will act to feed the coming Apocalypse. We must do our part to ensure we keep pace with him. Where's Pestilence?"

From immediately behind her, Kasumi heard a female voice call, "Out front."

Kasumi turned defensively. Obviously she was caught, but who was able to sneak up on her like that? With honey-blonde hair and sky blue eyes that pierced the dark of night, the Fourth Horseman emitted dark energy heavily enough to lock Kasumi's joints and numb her muscles.

"Jessica Parks? You're Pestilence?"

"I was chosen to support the Rapture," Jessica confirmed. "You have gotten yourself in the way."

"What's going on?" the Ghost asked as he pulled open the front door. He scowled at the sight of Kasumi crouched on the stoop. "Envy. I wondered how long it would take for all of you to find me again. Are you here under Greed's orders?"

Kasumi gasped under the pressure coming from Pestilence. "He doesn't know he's doing your job for you."

"He's too blinded by his greed to see the big picture," the Ghost said matter-of-factly. "Get rid of her."

Now Abel's energy added to the pressure holding Kasumi in place. She felt hollow save for the urge to vomit. The energy she held inside herself was nothing next to the combined force of Pestilence and Famine. The Ghost didn't even need to help out; he just got to stand back and watch Kasumi dissolve under the pressure of the darkness. Kasumi couldn't stand feeling such weakness. Matt would never fall so easily. She desired the power to resist this level of weakness.

"No!" she shouted. The intensity of her emotion built up and erupted from her as a force temporarily strong enough to counter the threatening force. Surprise gripped her for a moment as she caught her breath, just as surprise took Famine and Pestilence. Before they could figure out how she fought back, Kasumi got her feet under her and bolted across the grass.

_I want another chance,_ she thought to herself. _I can't lose now._

Kasumi chanced a single look backward to find Pestilence chasing her. She was thin and athletic—perfectly aerodynamic enough to catch up. Briefly, the thought occurred to her to stop and fight physically—Pestilence wasn't trained in martial arts whereas Kasumi was skilled enough to knock Bryan down in a single blow—but Pestilence did have an excess of dark power, and she may have Abel close behind to back her up. Kasumi didn't want to take that chance. She needed to put all of her strength into her well-toned legs and make it to the Blue Mansion. It was close by—just across the quad from the Marufuji building, the closest dormitory to the classroom buildings. That was touted as an advantage because they could sleep in later and still make it to class on time. Now it would Kasumi's advantage by offering shelter, assuming she could maintain a lead on her athletic pursuer.

As soon as she hit the fifty-yard mark, Kasumi slipped her hand inside her jacket and produced her ID card. She was just a few seconds ahead of Pestilence. She could see the card reader from here. If she timed it right, she could slip inside and slam the door shut before Pestilence could catch her. As soon as it appeared in her reach, she sliced her hand straight down, perfectly sliding the card right inside the reader, slowing the motion enough for her card to be recognized. The red light indicated she was out after curfew, but the offense was logged and did not prevent her from reentering her dorm. The lock clicked open, she yanked the door open, spun around it, slipped her fingers under the inside door handle, and pulled it shut with her momentum.

The relief of holding the door shut on one of the Horseman allowed Kasumi the opportunity to realize what was happening to the arrhythmic bongos she called her heart. The beat made her dizzy, but slowly the world came back into proper focus. She saw Pestilence produce her own ID card, but even after the lock disengaged on the door, she couldn't enter. At this point, Kasumi's superior physical strength enabled her to hold the door shut while her smaller opponent tried to enter. Pestilence ceded the confrontation by releasing the door and backing away from it. The lights of the small hall reflecting off the window made her lose sight of Pestilence quickly. Was she gone, or was she just backing away temporarily to provide false security?

Suddenly Kasumi remembered the other three entrances to the mansion. If Pestilence left this door, she could easily run around the mansion to any of the other doors and find a way in. Or it could be a trick: Maybe Pestilence was keeping Kasumi in her sights, waiting for Kasumi to leave for another door so she could slip in through this door and be right behind her again. Her only chance seemed to be heading straight up the stairs and finding her suitemates for additional protection.

Jessica skipped the side door and headed for the front entrance to the mansion. She figured Kasumi would try to cut her off at the side, and this strategy would avoid further annoyance. She was pleased to see Kasumi had not yet reached the front door. But as soon as she slid her ID card and opened the door, she saw someone else—someone with a ponytail and brown eyes filled with emotion at the sight of her.

"Alister," she uttered in shock. Alister Kazama was her boyfriend ever since before high school even started. People even said they looked alike because they spent every waking moment together… until Jessica was marked as a Horseman. The look in Alister's eyes displayed how much he longed to have her with him again.

"Jessica," he said, taking her hands. He still looked like he was stranger enough at this point that getting any closer might be crossing the line. "Why are you chasing Kasumi?" It wasn't unusual for him to know that. As the resident advisor of the Blue Mansion, his office was privy to the door alarms, and he wasn't off-duty until midnight.

"She's interfering."

"With what? What are you into these days? Why have you all but abandoned your life?"

"I'm preparing the campus for the End of Days," she told him bluntly. She saw no reason to lie. "This will be the end of Duel Academy and the world, and I want to ensure I am saved in the Rapture."

"Why would you _seek_ the Rapture?" Alister asked. "Isn't this world worth keeping a while longer?"

"It isn't about wanting to end the world," she clarified. "The world will end soon regardless. My role is to gain God's favor and earn a favorable position for both of us in the afterlife."

Alister looked back with shock. "You're trying to save us both? But I thought…"

She placed her hand on his face. "My involvement has kept us separate, but I still think of you constantly. Without you, I would not have this opportunity, nor would I attend Duel Academy or even be a duelist."

* * *

_First graders typically think about two things: "No homework tonight, please," and recess. Recess was a time to run around and let imaginations run wild—back before parents came up with the delusion that play time spoiled cerebral development. Jessica was a big fan of running around, and especially of schoolyard soccer games. It was one of those times of the day when she could prove herself at least the equal of any boy… especially a competitive jerk like Alister. He was always bragging about his speed: Skinny as he was, he couldn't really brag about strength._

_Alister ran down the length of the field between the blacktops, gaining ground on his pursuers even though he had some trouble controlling the ball. As he hit the mark two-thirds of the way across the field—specifically the end of the baseball field—Jessica brought out a huge burst of speed and took the ball from him mid-stride. Her momentum carried her down the field way ahead of Alister, and her speed even caught everyone else off guard. But when she reached the other end and took a shot, Jon Paul was tall and had hands like a basketball player. He intercepted her shot before it could cross the sidewalk goal, and he hurled the ball back into play well over Jessica's head right to Alister. He took the ball back to the other goal line, this time way out of Jessica's range. But when he kicked, the ball sailed right between the three goalies. The worst part of it was the smug look on Alister's face._

_Fourth grade brought Jessica the cognitive skills to begin Duel Monsters under the instruction of her thirty-year-old uncle who still acted like a big kid. She never won a game unless he went easy on her, and so she all but lost interest in the game pretty quickly. It was fun for a little while, but after seeing the same cards repeatedly, it gets boring._

_But one morning at school, a whole bunch of boys were gathered around a desk playing Duel Monsters. Alister was taking on a classmate and actually winning. He was so sure he was going to be an expert that he challenged everyone. Jessica immediately stepped up and accepted his challenge. She brought Alister all the way down to 400 Life Points, but he still beat her and acted like it was a piece of cake for him. Unwilling to accept losing to him in anything without a fight, Jessica returned to her uncle for further knowledge and practice. Through sheer repetition of using her deck, she began to collect victories even without her uncle's grace. She knew she was going to beat Alister soon enough just to shut him up._

_In seventh grade, Jessica still competed with Alister on a personal level, but the two ended up on the same team for their middle school basketball league. As nice as it was to score more points than he did or to tally up more steals, she realized it was super helpful to have someone who was a match for her assisting her by giving her the ball, or by actually scoring whenever she assisted him. It felt great knowing she could rely on him like that. He was kinda cute, too… for a jerk._

_In the summer before beginning high school, Alister asked Jessica to join him for a movie. It wasn't unusual for them to go places as friends and classmates, but she was caught off guard when she realized he didn't invite anyone else to join them. As he told it, he wanted to see what it was like to spend an evening with the entire conversation being only things they wanted to talk about. Their friends didn't get to interrupt with bodily noises or stories that would embarrass even a mechanic. It was just about them. Jessica turned beet-red at the suggestion, but she'd been developing a crush on Alister for the past two years, and so she was just as eager to spend time alone with him._

_One amazing thing about dating was the acceptability of their being together late into the night dueling one another. Every week, they got new cards they hoped would trip the other one up and prove one of them completely dominant, but they constantly proved rather equal, trading win for win as readily as the tide ebbs and flows._

_In their sophomore year, Alister got tickets to a local tag team tournament. Jessica had never realized Duel Monsters could be played as a team game. It seemed so clear as a one-on-one style that she never considered increasing the player count. But the duel was so much more gripping when two players worked together to stack the odds heavily against the underwhelming opponents, and it was exhilarating to watch those odds change in an instant through defensive teamwork. Jessica and Alister had been rivals for a long time, and they knew one another's decks inside and out from all their duels. Maybe dueling as a team would make them even better._

_Completing several local tournaments and even championing a regional series, Jessica and Alister decided to give a shot to The Princeton Tag Team Paradox, a tag team tournament that drew youth dueling teams from around the globe. Their first pair of opponents came from Japan with decks much like the original Paradox Brothers, focusing on summoning the Gate Guardian. Jessica thought she must have pleased a god in a past life to earn such an opponent: her Tribe-Infecting Virus used its effect to eliminate the Gate Guardian instantly and set up a closer by Alister's guardians._

_Through the same level of mutual understanding that made it difficult for Jessica to play any effective Traps against Alister, they worked their way to the top of the tournament. The opposing team had a tried-and-true strategy of stalling with indestructible monsters while waiting for Final Countdown to end the duel automatically. Jessica's Crush Card Virus combed with Alister's Guardian Eatos to end the duel and earn the couple the title of Best Tag Team Duelists Since the Paradox Brothers._

* * *

With his eyes closed, Alister drew in a deep breath. "Then let's duel."

"What?"

"A duel. We'll duel. We've always been a perfect match for each other. Now you say you're gaining favor with God for the coming Rapture. You've been brainwashed, and I intend to snap you out of it the hard way."

"No," Jessica protested. "If I do that, you'll be marked as a sacrifice. When the Rapture comes, you and I won't be together anymore. I will not allow that outcome."

"I'm only offering two options," Alister told her. "Either you snap out of this weird trance you're in by yourself, or I'll snap you out of it through a duel."

"We can't duel," Jessica insisted. "I'm much too powerful for you."

* * *

_Leroy Peterson was eager to prove himself against a duelist from the Blue Mansion, and he thought he might be just one step away with Ojama King (3000)—a massive, round, white creature with a green cape and red bikini briefs—on the field in defense mode stealing three of Jessica's monster zones. All she had was the Dark Crusader (1600), a skeletal warrior dressed in black leather and wielding a heavy broadsword, and a single facedown card._

"_By discarding a card from my hand, Dark Crusader (+2000) rises by 400 points." The warrior slapped her discarded card on his sword and used its energy to expand the blade. "I'll activate Deck Devastation Virus." The warrior turned pink and decayed, with particles of his broken body floating in the wind to Leroy's cards. Ojama King turned pink as well and decayed instantly, but the bigger blow was when Leroy had to lose two cards from his hand. Each monster with 1500 or fewer attack points he held for the next three turns was sent straight to the Graveyard._

_And when her turn began, Jessica revived Perfect Machine King (2700) and began to lay waste to the opponent's low-power Ojama deck._

* * *

_Staring down the pearly scales and blood-flecked teeth of the Ultimate Tyranno (3000), Jessica was left with nothing but a single facedown card. Lidya colorfully expressed her delight at the situation, but Jessica still led in Life Points against the freshman OTK duelist._

"_You say you love the effect of Big Evolution Pill? It won't do you much good. I'll summon Dark Crusader (4/1600/200), and instead of discarding, I'll use Shrink to cut his points in half. Now I'll activate the Crush Card Virus." Her leather-clad warrior turned purple as the virus took over his body. His body exploded, and the air carried viral particles across the field to Ultimate Tyranno, Lidya's hand, and her deck, destroying all monsters with 1500 or more points that showed within the next three turns._

_But it only took one turn for Jessica to summon Machine King and power him up for a finishing attack._

* * *

Jessica shook her head. For the first time since meeting the Ghost Duelist, she found her resolve shaking. "Everyone who loses to me bears the mark of Aiwass. Spreading his mark is the only way to break the fifth seal. He'll use your body as a catalyst to join this world. I can't let you be sacrificed to Aiwass. I… I refuse to duel you!"

Suddenly the air around Jessica erupted violently in a cyclone. Alister fell back along the stoop and banged his head on the door. The energy pressed him against the wall, and the energy was too black to see through. Jessica couldn't see Alister anymore, but she could feel the intense pain ripping through her body as the second seal of Aiwass shattered within her. The strength of her conviction in refusing to put Alister at risk broke the seal just as if she'd lost a duel.

She felt herself hit the ground like a lifeless puppet, but she didn't notice the pain—only the motion. As she drifted into the deepest, most inviting sleep she ever felt beckon to her, she heard Alister's voice calling for her repeatedly. She might even have felt his hand touch hers. With a smile in her heart, she accepted the sleep.

"At least you're safe, my love."

* * *

_**Author's notes** (not another flashback):_

_So my notes read, "Alister and Jessica duel with Alister narrowly winning," but when I got to that point, Jessica's character told me that she was stronger than to let the Ghost coax her into a duel against the man she loves. After all, she was trying to save him from the rapture, too, and beating him would mark him for death. The duel action was a little light as a result, but I'm hopeful the additional pieces of the Ghost's plan help mediate your disappointment._

_In the next chapter, Kasumi finally reveals her knowledge of the Ghost's plan to Matt, and he doesn't take it well. Seeking refuge from his physical and emotional pain, he finds Rory, who finally evokes the full force of Kasumi's envy. Rory remains in the GX tournament, but can she defeat a duelist powered by the apocalypse?  
_

Timeline notes:_ The last four chapters (including this one) occurred within one night. The next chapter picks up from the following morning. We are currently in the second week of Bryan's visit to the Thelemic Pantheon._

_Credits:_  
_Jessica Parks...ZaneKazama001_  
_Alister Kazama...ZanKazama001_  
_Logan Wilson...MercWithTheMouth13_  
_Abel Shinzo...Iron-Arm-V_


	34. Girl Trouble

Chapter 34: Girl Trouble

"Why did you call me?" She enjoyed ignoring late-night text messages as much as anybody, but Cary was surprised to find a message containing the identity of the Ghost Duelist and a call for help. Even more surprising was finding Matt lying on the ground, beaten and only half-conscious, with Logan fully unconscious a few feet away from him. She called the campus police and got an ambulance to take both of them to the campus hospital, which was at least as well off as the Kazuki Hospital thanks to Kaiba Corp.'s support of student healthcare. Matt and Logan occupied two of the beds in the emergency room.

"Well, I tried telling Lucy, but she seems to think she's met someone more dangerous," Matt replied with a puzzled look. Cary could tell there was no situation that would force Matt to be serious. "I guess I figured you'd actually answer and you'd be able to tell I wasn't crying wolf."

"I was a little surprised to find you'd been fighting, what with all the talks your mother and I have given you." She never even smiled through her glibness. "Seriously, though. You told the doctors Logan jumped you in the woods. I think she was inclined to believe you given how many times Logan has been in here with tree-related injuries, but I know there's more to it to drag you into fisticuffs when you have no chance of winning."

"Thanks." But ego aside, Matt admitted, "He was keeping me away from the Ghost Duelist."

"That superstition everyone's been chasing? Did you actually find him?"

"Yes. I think he has the god cards. I found him in the grove where I buried them. But before I could question him properly, he ran off and Logan attacked me. I convinced him to duel instead of beating me senseless, and when I won, he ended up with symptoms just like the losers of a Shadow Game. And then those two showed up in a similar situation. It can't all be coincidence."

He was referring to Alister Kazama and Jessica Parks. He was distressed, claiming she suffered some kind of explosion and then passed out, ultimately giving her identical symptoms to Logan. Matt already tried to console Alister, but there wasn't a whole lot he could do for him, and he didn't learn anything new about what happened to her except that it happened without losing a duel: Apparently willpower alone was sufficient to expel the darkness.

"Poor guy. He looks exhausted."

"He looks asleep," Matt argued.

Cary huffed in reply. "I haven't found anything about the Ghost Duelist in the papers we found in the Medici building."

"No one registered by that name? Big shock."

"Mitsuro asked us to look into the pasts of the people teaching the class she's taking at the Thelemic Pantheon. According to their biographies online, they once believed in black magic—the kind that summons demons. What do you think?"

"I think that's why you should never read comic books after doing mushrooms."

She chuckled. "Yeah, but still. They were part of a secret society that shunned them for belief that god spoke to them and prepared them for the end of the world. They said this world was going to destroy itself unless they enabled god to return and purify the world."

"Sounds like Teacher of the Year material." He would have continued if he hadn't noticed Erica approaching him with Lili in tow. An odd couple to be sure. "What brings you two here in the middle of the night? How loopy was I when I filled in the admission forms? Who did I list as next-of-kin?"

"Not the time," Erica warned him. "First: How are you?"

"'Tis but a scratch."

"Really?" Lili flicked the tension on the traction holding Matt's leg to align his ankle.

"He twisted my ankle. I wouldn't let the doc splint it, so we compromised on this for a little while. I think she still plans to convince me to put a wrap on it later, but it's really not that bad."

"If you say so," Erica said. "Second: We need to talk about the duel club."

Matt raised an eyebrow. "I thought the first rule about duel club was you don't talk about duel club."

"That's fight club," Lili groaned.

Matt narrowed his eyes at her. "What do you know about fight club?"

Erica ignored him. "I find it odd that Logan ended up with… let's call them Shadow symptoms… shortly after I experienced a secondhand Shadow Game." She related the experience of dueling against Valerie Sheehan in the duel club arena. "On top of that, Lili suspects someone else may actually be the cause of the Shadow symptoms of all these duelists."

Matt's humor was noticeably absent all of a sudden. "Maybe they're spreading the mark."

"Huh? What mark?" asked Lili.

He shrugged. "I don't fully understand it. Something about the mark of darkness, borrowing god's energy, and god collecting interest when the rapture begins."

"That's an interesting story," Erica noted. "Where'd you hear that?"

"From the Ghost Duelist."

She flinched, but there was a look of justice in her eye. "I knew there had to be something to those superstitions. But wasn't he stealing people's cards?"

"That was someone else," Matt replied. "Long story."

She silently accepted his vague deflection in order to stay on topic. "So who or what is this Ghost Duelist?"

"We were just talking about that," Cary chimed in. "Based on some information from Mitsuro, we think he's related to the people teaching the class at the Thelemic Pantheon, where our other six students are coincidentally located. Sarah Almasi and Salman Nazari were once part of a secret society that did devil worship, black magic, humiliation rituals, and so on. Those two were suddenly shunned from the society when they started on about how the world was impure and god would return to purify it if someone could open the seals that prevented god from entering our world."

Erica huffed. "And I thought Matt's story was good."

"Further, there was another guy named Lorn Kruse who declared that what he had seen wasn't a god, but a demon that longed to destroy the world. Semantics for some, and if the vision he saw was anything like how Hollywood portrays them, then I believe he was with Almasi and Nazari and experienced a shared vision."

Lili shook her head. "So they interpreted it differently and are probably after opposite goals. But where do Carter and Logan and Jessica fit into this?"

"I don't really know. Maybe if we track down Lorn Kruse, we can find him and ask him directly."

Matt put on his serious face again. "Don't look for Lorn Kruse. Look for Michael Potter."

"Officer Potter?" Erica asked. She was taken aback by the suggestion. "Explain that."

"He's the Ghost Duelist."

"Are you sure?"

"I saw him."

"When? Tonight when you were in the woods with Logan? It's dark out there. Feasibly, you could have seen anybody."

"I had a flashlight."

Lili nodded. "That sounds pretty certain to me. So let's go get him."

"Hold on," Erica reined her in. "It is not going to be that easy. Police officers are accustomed to some hostility from the community because they have to be the 'bad guys' who bust people for breaking the law. As a result, they tend to band together. If you accuse one of them of being among the campus's most wanted, you'd better have some serious evidence."

"I'm a witness," Matt pointed out. He pointed toward Logan with his thumb. "So is he. And I'll bet Jessica knows something, if either of them ever wakes up from this."

"That would be something," Erica agreed, "but we still have to approach with extreme caution even the suggestion that an officer is involved here. I don't even know how willing Pr. Baker would be to hear you out."

"Maybe Tai can help," Cary suggested. She drew confused looks with that. "He's a Navy man. It's not exactly the same as being a cop, but maybe he has some friends who can do a deeper background check for us. If nothing else, he might just be able to present our evidence in a more convincing way, seeing as he also fights to protect the American way of life."

Erica took in a long, deep breath. "This development is more than I expected when I came here to ask questions," she admitted. Rubbing her head, she added, "This was a long night. We should all get some rest and revisit this later. Matt definitely needs the rest."

"Agreed," Matt said. "Go away and leave me alone."

"Ungrateful," Cary mocked as she smacked his arm and got up to leave.

"Just a second," he said as he whipped his arm out and grabbed her hand. Giving it a slight squeeze, he said, "Thanks for coming to get me."

She looked right back at him and said, "Don't be creepy. I just figured if I helped this one time you'd leave me alone next time." Matt wasn't sure if she was just being silly or if she was trying to seem tougher in front of Lili, Duel Academy's leading tomboy, but she offered a quick wink to remind him that she'd be there to help when he needed her again.

* * *

As Matt began drifting back to consciousness, he could already feel the pain in his ankle had faded significantly. Either Dr. Nagell gave him some homemade Tylenol with a secret ingredient, or his symbiotic spirit was being generous with the ATP. Maybe he could stay in bed a little longer and the pain would go away permanently so he could leave. His nose still didn't feel quite right, but he didn't have to walk on that.

Stretching while he adjusted his level of slouch on the bed, Matt's eyes opened just enough to see someone standing right in front of him, wearing blue. He jumped at the blurry apparition, eliciting a response of, "Oh, nice." Even while he rubbed his face and searched the desk for his glasses to restore his vision, he recognized Kasumi's voice.

"Good morning, Kas. What brings you here?"

The half-Japanese duelist shrugged sarcastically. "I've been thinking about a career as a nurse. Plus I found out my _boyfriend_ was brought here bleeding and wounded—thought maybe I'd drop by and see if I could bring him a glass of water or smack him for not calling me."

Matt rolled his eyes. "Maybe he didn't call because he needed some time to sleep, not to listen to paranoid ranting."

Kas's expression turned serious quickly. "This isn't about anyone else—just us."

"I was referring to unnecessary medical concerns," he clarified. "I'm fine now. I'll be pain-free shortly. Dr. Nagell wants me to sleep and then leave. Please let me be for a while. I'll call when I go home for the day." For a moment, Kas seemed almost peaceful, like she was going to respect his wishes and come back later.

"You called my best friend, but you wouldn't call me?"

"So much for sleep," he groaned. He now felt sufficiently awake that he might as well get up. "I thought Cary was more likely to keep a level head and bring help with her. She's also up late doing her journalism thing. I understand a lot of writers spend time late at night doing nothing but staring at the computer screen, so I figured I'd give her a break."

The look on Kasumi's face clearly spelled jealousy that Cary got the call over her, but Matt respected her effort to avoid starting a fight by substituting crossing her arms over her chest. "So what happened?"

"You should see what I did to the other guy's hands."

She scoffed, "Yeah, yeah. Bruised knuckles and achy joints." Just once, Matt wished someone would at least _pretend_ to be amused by his sense of humor. "Why would Wa—I mean, why would Logan attack you?"

Matt made a face, hearing what Kasumi almost said but not understanding it remotely. "Well, Walter tried to prevent me from chasing after the Ghost Duelist. Or, he _did_ prevent me: There was not a lot of _trying_ necessary. But even though the squirrely criminal got away, I saw his face."

"That doesn't mean you can stop him."

"How would you know? No one else has his face except Logan and Bryan, and maybe Abel and Jessica." He wasn't trying to be condescending, but having the Ghost's identity seemed like exactly the key he needed to stop any plans of ending the world.

"I've seen his face dozens of times."

Matt actually felt his entire body lock up as his brain very slowly processed that sentence. Speech became a chore as words failed him. "Wh… Wa… I… _What?_" His sudden frustration found voice within him. "You've known who the Ghost Duelist was this entire time?"

"I don't know who he is," Kas argued. "I just know what he looks like."

"And do you know that he sometimes wears a police uniform?" Kas shrugged like maybe she could remember seeing that at some point in her past. "I can't believe this! After all the complaints you've given me about lying to you, you go and keep this from me?"

"You keep secrets all the time!" Kas retorted.

Matt's exasperation became visible on his face. "That's different! I don't know the answers to your questions. You've been hiding the identity of the Ghost Duelist the entire time I was looking for him! That maniac turned Bryan into an… Evil… Hero-guy." With a short huff, he admitted, "I don't really know what he did to Bryan, but he's the one who turned Bryan from my best friend into Tall, Dark, and Homicidal with the Evil Heroes. Sure, most of the time he's still fairly normal, but then he gets this look in his eye like the Grim Reaper come to collect."

"I know," Kasumi grumbled. "The Ghost made him one of his Horsemen."

"You know about the Horsemen?" Matt considered Logan a Horseman when he made such a big deal about serving the god of the apocalypse. If Bryan was one of them… Was that good or bad for the Ghost Duelist's plan?

"All I know about them is they're the most powerful of the Ghost's underlings, and two of them have already been beaten. I don't know how tough Famine will prove, but you only narrowly escaped Death _before_ the Ghost gave him extra power. If you confronted him now, you'd fall."

"So Bryan is the Horseman of Death," Matt concluded, half asking for confirmation. "What does that mean?"

Kas just shook her head. "I don't know. I don't know the Ghost's plan."

"Dammit, Kas. Don't you dare lie to me right now!"

"No lie. He wants to mark everyone with darkness, but I don't understand what that will do for him. Something about the fifth seal requiring a tremendous amount of duel energy to break. The duel club Vic Rocks runs is where he said he'll get the energy he needs."

Furiously piecing together earlier conversations, Matt maybe started figuring things out that Kas didn't know. Logan said the god of the apocalypse was going to take back the spirits of everyone who didn't believe in him. Maybe that was only partly true: With each duel, the Ghost Duelist and his flunkies must have left some mark of the god—Aiwass—on their opponents, and those people will be the ones whose spirits would fuel Aiwass's birth in this world. It seemed supremely ridiculous, but given his personal history, Matt was willing to go on a little faith.

"Is there anything else you've been hiding from me?" he finally asked Kas as he realized something he overlooked during their conversation.

"No," she replied, looking almost offended at the insinuation.

Her offense didn't fuel Matt's anger though; it converted it to disappointment. "How'd you know all of this?" She paused in surprise. He knew she wasn't going to make this easy on him. He was forced to shut down emotionally and speak as if he no longer cared about the answer. "What circumstances could possibly afford you a dozen opportunities to meet with the Ghost Duelist so nonchalantly?"

"I don't know what you want me to say."

"The truth might be a good start."

"He offered me power."

"Power? What kind? In exchange for what?"

"He said it was duel energy. It gives me the same kind of dueling power the legendary duelists like Seto Kaiba and Yugi Mutou had. He said I'd be strong enough to defeat the Egyptian God Cards."

Matt closed his eyes to bottle up his growing frustration. "You joined up with a misogynistic criminal just so you could win a few duels? For god's sake, he attacked Lucy!"

"No, that wasn't him. That was Wrath."

"What?"

Kasumi explained, "Romulus Malligan. The Ghost gave him power, too, and turned him into Wrath. But Wrath had a lot more trouble controlling that power, and so he let out his frustration with women."

"Romulus attacked all those women? But why? I don't understand. Why did the Ghost Duelist start handing out power like that?"

"You ask a lot of reasons."

Growling, he replied, "I want to understand. Why does he keep the Horsemen as servants but still give power to you and Romulus?"

"At first, we thought _we_ were the ones helping him to serve the god Aiwass. But recently I learned that he only wanted us to spread the mark for him. We are otherwise useless to him."

Matt sat in silence for a moment, trying to process her story. Assuming she wasn't lying to him, it sounded like Potter was not only wicked in his pursuit of the Rapture, but he was also a master manipulator just as a hobby.

"Discard his power, then."

"I won't!" she objected to his surprise. "This power is mine! It's not your place to tell me what to do with it."

"You got it from a maniac who wants you to duel people in order to kill everyone! How does that not sound insane to you?"

"You can say that because you have your own power. If you were in my shoes, you'd feel the same."

Unable to deal with her anymore, Matt decided he would deal with the pain in his ankle for a while as long as he got away from Kasumi. Saying he didn't want to see her right then didn't give justice to his feelings: He was truly disgusted with her behavior.

He pulled his leg back out of the sling and slipped off the bed to his left. But his right foot got caught on the sling and didn't properly slide free, and so he ended up smacking chest-first on the floor, relieved he missed with his face. He hopped up on his left leg and yanked a few more times on his right leg, ultimately standing patiently while Dr. Nagell opened the sling and let his foot drop free. When his ankle banged the side of the bed, Matt didn't make a peep, though he was screaming on the inside from the pain.

"You shouldn't walk on that leg so soon," Dr. Nagell insisted. She urged him, "Let me get you some crutches."

"I appreciate the offer, but I'll be fine. I can't stand to be here right now." He glared at Kasumi as he said that. Using all the stamina he had in his legs to favor his wounded ankle, he began to walk away, stopping beside her just long enough to utter, "I can't believe you. We're through." Maybe it was the adrenaline or maybe it was sheer force of will, but the pain started to dull as soon as Matt started putting weight on his ankle as he hobbled through the door. The last thing he said was a promise to Dr. Nagell that he'd return for a checkup tomorrow.

Matt wasn't sure where he wanted to go. Obviously, he wanted to get away from Kasumi, and he would probably desire a nap in the near future. He wanted to make sure that when he slept, he wouldn't awaken to Kasumi's face once again. What was a good hiding place from her? He had little desire to climb the bell tower, or even to sleep there if he made it all that way with his sprained ankle, but his room was too easy for Kasumi to find. Cary was a good friend, though she was also Kasumi's best friend and would probably turn him in if asked. Lucy was out in California, there were Titus employees staying in the Medici building, and all academic buildings were freely accessible to students. He doubted if even the boys' locker room at the gym would deter her long.

There was one person who might actually protect him from Kasumi, however. And, if he was to be truly honest, it wouldn't be the first nap he'd shared with her.

When she opened the door, Rory's smile was a bright as the daylight sun. Matt always enjoyed seeing it, almost enough to melt his frustration with Kasumi. And he never was able to determine if Rory put on subtle levels of perfume, or if her natural scent really was the same as rose petals. Her hair looked perfect, like fine silk curled just a bit and highlighted to display its prominence. She wore her Academy attire, including the white jacket and blue mini-skirt, the former fairly tight and the latter short enough to display her well sculpted legs.

Her smile faded quickly after her initial glance at Matt. "Matt, are you alright? What happened?" She ushered him in the room toward her bed so he could sit while she fetched a towel from the bathroom.

"If you think this is bad, you should see the other guy—particularly his knuckles. I'm pretty sure I broke his hand in two places. You know how many chin-ups it took?"

Rory chuckled, which was exactly the pretty sound Matt hoped to hear. "I get it: _chin_-ups. Seriously, though. Are you okay? I've never seen you with a black eye."

"It's just a bruise. It'll go away. I got in a little tussle—nothing big."

"And the limp?"

He chuckled more sheepishly. That particular wound embarrassed him more. "Also a souvenir of the tussle. Nothing that won't go away with a bit of rest."

"Can I do anything?"

Matt thought about sharing what he learned about the Ghost Duelist. If the world was really coming to an end soon, Rory had the right to know about it. But as he looked into her big, brown eyes, he suddenly chickened out. All fear of the apocalypse transformed into a chivalrous, if not egotistical, desire to make sure nothing hurt her.

Putting on a big smile, he said, "No. Don't worry about me. I just came to hang out."

"Did you have a fight with Kasumi?"

"Something like it. We sort of broke up."

Rory tilted her head as she faked a piteous "aw." "She didn't hit you, did she?"

Matt laughed. "No. I got this from a gang of like, twelve guys. Actually, I took out eleven of them without a scratch, but then the last guy snuck up on me." She just smiled in amusement back at him.

"I'm not sure coming straight here after breaking up is the best idea for your reputation. People might think you specifically broke up so that you could date me."

"You're right. I can't give you a reputation of a home wrecker."

She made a face. "Nice analogy. I don't care what other people think of me. I've made no secret of my crush on you. I'm more worried about you."

Matt's head was still swimming, which prevented him from making any kind of commitment to Rory right then. He wasn't absolutely sure he wanted to run straight from Kasumi to her. He couldn't imagine wanting to get back together with Kasumi, though. Maybe if he let his anger fade, he'd realize he wanted a break for a little while. Finally, he found a use for his physical pain: Focusing on it made his emotional confusion subside a bit.

Leaning back against the wall, he glanced out the door across the suite and caught sight of Crysta Gellar, Rory's suitemate and running companion. She was also wearing full Academy dress—blue jacket plus blue skirt—standing in front of her mirror as she primped her hair. She had much shorter hair than Rory, her skin was a little darker, and she was almost just as attractive. He didn't know much about her since he'd spent most of the semester in private, but Rory was fast friends with her, so she had to be a good person.

"You know, your roommate is kinda cute," Matt suggested. "If I asked _her_ out, no one could accuse me of conspiring against Kasumi."

"That's a reasonable assumption," Rory said with a grin on her face. "But you're not really Crysta's type."

"She doesn't like guys who are good looking, funny, and light on their feet?"

Grin broadening, Rory remarked, "You were right with just the first four words."

"First four…" Suddenly Matt realized what she was saying about Crysta. "Really? I never would have guessed. Does it make it weird to share a bathroom with her?"

"No. Does it change your opinion about her?"

"Well, I guess it's less likely I'll ask her out." He put one arm around Rory's waist as she stood beside him and leaned his head against her side. "Care to not watch a movie together?"

"I'm sorry, honey, but I have a class in twenty minutes. I'm about to leave." He smacked himself for not considering that possibility. "Plus, I think you're reacting a bit too soon to your breakup. I'm happy to hang out, but as much as I like you, I don't want anything between us to be colored by vulnerable anger."

He nodded and gave her waist a short hug. "You're probably right. I'll go find somewhere else to hide out for a while."

"Stay here and take a nap," she suggested. "You look beat, and I'll only be gone an hour. We can hang out and talk when I get back." She put her finger in his face, causing him to recoil a bit. "Just stay out of my underwear drawer. I heard about your first date with Lucy."

"I have no idea what you're talking about," he lied. He felt the down in her pillow and the 550-count threads adorning her bed and thought about how he really could use a nap, and Kasumi would never be able to find him here. "One question," he said. "Why do you bother making your bed in the morning? That's like tying your shoes after you take them off."

She just laughed and ran her fingers through his hair. "I'll close the door on my way out so you can hide or whatever." She grabbed her stuff, blew him a kiss, and then closed her door as she joined Crysta on their way to class. They'd probably meet Lili there, he figured.

As soon as he lay down with a teddy bear propping up his ankle in a comfortable position, Rory's dresser caught Matt's peripheral vision. He looked at it for a moment, and the second he caught himself wondering what color her underwear was, he smacked himself, but he blamed her for it. "Sheesh! That's what she gets for bringing it up."

* * *

Rory couldn't help but notice the smirk on Crysta's face as they walked to class. When asked for a reason, Crysta answered, "I just happened to notice you left a little treat for yourself in your bedroom. Nice choice, I must say."

"Shut up. He's just a friend taking a nap."

"A _cute_ friend you have a big crush on. I don't see you inviting Jason to take a nap in your bed."

"There's no ulterior motive here. I do want to see him in my room more often, but I have enough self-control to make him wait a while. He needs to sort out his feelings for Kasumi first. I'm not playing second banana to her. I'm right here as his friend until he decides for himself that I'm number one… even if that means not dating until after graduation."

"You think you can wait that long?"

She wasn't certain she'd be able to if she continued to see him so willing. "I hope so."

"Good for you."

"Ruiter!" Even Crysta knew that voice well enough to know it wouldn't mean good news. Kasumi Okuyama stood in front of Rory like an Old West showdown, her eyes green as she stared down the one who stole Matt from her. "We're settling this now."

"Settling what?" Rory asked. "What imaginary offense have I committed against you this time?"

"You get Matt to tell you everything when he won't tell me anything. I know knocking you out won't change anything, but just seeing your face and knowing he likes you gets me so pissed off!"

Rory took a step back. "You're not going to try to punch me again, are you?"

"No. I'm going to duel you."

Crysta pointed out, "We're going to be late to class. Settle this later."

"She's right, Kas," Rory said, trying to look sad. "We'll meet up after class and duel. I'll be back in an hour."

As soon as she stepped past Kasumi, the green-eyed fighter growled, "If you ignore me now, I will break down your door and confront Matt right now." Rory paused mid-stride as Kasumi added, "I know he's in there."

When Rory stopped, Crysta warned her, "Don't let her bait you."

"I'll be a little late today on one condition," Rory suggested. "You leave Matt alone and let him sort out his own feelings."

"He's just mad at me. He always comes back."

"Maybe that's true again. But until _he_ decides that, you're going to leave him alone and I won't put any moves on him or accept any moves from him. Are we agreed?"

Kasumi snarled. "Fine."

Rory took a deep, nervous breath. Crysta put her hand gently on Rory's arm and said, "I'll stay here with you."

"No, I'll be fine. We're in public. You get to class. I'll need your notes later."

"You sure?" She patted Rory on the arm reassuringly and said, "Kick her ass." Rory laughed and ushered her away. The quad was only a few meters away, and there were already a few duels taking place between some of the remaining participants of the GX Tournament. It reminded Rory of the biggest difference between this and the last time she and Kasumi dueled: Deck Masters.

She didn't realize Kasumi was borrowing power from the god of the Ghost Duelist.

"Have you got a Deck Master in mind?" Rory asked. "I've used the same one for every duel so far." She summoned Cyber Phoenix to her side, a mechanical bird with rigid wings shimmering red with would-be flames. This was her favorite Deck Master because it protected her machines from targeting effects with a small cost.

Kasumi didn't react. Rory thought for a second that maybe she didn't hear, or maybe she was having some kind of mental breakdown invisible on the surface. Her eyes bore into Rory, but her gaze seemed to go beyond her opponent.

Finally, she asked, "When Matt disappeared this summer, was he with you?"

If there was a good outcome to this conversation, Rory couldn't envision it. Lying offered an ostensibly easy way out, but it always came around to increase the problems. But too much honesty was going to be more than Kasumi could handle. After all, Matt did spend the summer with her, unsupervised except filling the roles of supervisors themselves to preteen kids.

"We never did anything."

"Don't you lie to me!" Kasumi snapped.

"I'm not! He wouldn't even kiss me during Truth or Dare!"

That sounded worse than it was:

"_This game is called PG Truth or Dare," Lorena explained. "That means when you pick someone else, that person can choose to answer any question honestly or perform any dare. But those questions and dares _must_ be appropriate. No obscenity in language or act, and I reserve the right to veto anything I think is over the line."_

"_Buzz kill," Matt moaned, evoking laughter from the group of kids. Lorena was only a year older than Matt, so he liked to tease her about acting like a "grown up" all the time._

_Lorena pegged Ricardo, a fairly quiet ten-year-old she was trying to "bring out of his shell." "Ricardo, truth or dare?"_

_The kid recoiled slightly. "Truth, I guess."_

"_What's one thing you're afraid of?"_

_He was silent for a moment before quietly admitting, "Bats."_

"_Oh, you're going to be sorry you admitted that," Matt warned him, to which Rory smacked his arm. She'd been telling him for two days to be nice to the shy kids and not to treat everyone like they were Bryan._

"_Okay, Matt," Ricardo replied. "Truth or dare?"_

"_Dare, of course," he said emphatically._

_Ricardo grinned widely as he looked over the counselors who had gathered for this particular campfire game. Lorena was the oldest and the one in charge of the camp, Leticia was pretty cute and in charge of the lakeside activities, Patty was definitely the smart one in charge of the activities designed to make the kids learn something, but everyone knew Matt had a thing for Rory, the one in charge of games._

"_I dare you to kiss another counselor."_

_Everyone gasped and stared at Rory, who felt like her heart stopped as she blushed more heavily than she could ever remember. Matt scooted closer to her and leaned in, effectively turning Rory beet red. But just as he got close enough to share gum, he changed direction and headed straight for Lorena's face._

"_Veto! Vet—" Laughter filled the area as Lorena suffered a lip lock she wasn't expecting. Matt released her quickly and returned to his seat before Lorena could recover and hit him with anything. As she got herself set, she said, "That's not funny." Then she inhaled sharply and held her tongue out for fresh air. "Why does my tongue burn?" she asked._

_Matt grinned. "I was eating jalapeños, like, five minutes ago. I've had one of the pits under my tongue this whole time." Lorena grabbed her water bottle as Leticia accused him of not being human. "Come on. Truth or Dare? Someone was going to get kissed."_

Rory shook her head at the memory. "That began a long string of pranks." She was never sure whether she would have preferred to suffer the jalapeños for the chance to kiss Matt.

Kasumi placed a card on her Duel Disk. A black dragon appeared no taller than she, with scales like shiny armor, a lengthy tail, and only four limbs—stout legs and wiry wings with no additional arms. "Red-Eyes Wyvern," she said softly. "That's my Deck Master."

"Okay." Rory felt a sudden drop in her opponent's mood. She couldn't foresee this being a game of laughs and good times. "Do you want to go first?"

Kasumi didn't reply with words. She simply slapped down Future Fusion and started the duel off with a powerhouse play. Seeing Kasumi like this, Rory was starting to feel more guilt than she ever thought she deserved, given Kasumi's history as a jealous and sometimes violent girlfriend.

"_Size isn't necessary to play football," Matt explained. "Do I look big to you?" All the kids started nodding. Matt's point might have worked better if the shirt he wore had sleeves to hide the sheer tone in his arms. "Okay, sure I'm big _now_. Speed is just as important as size, and more so for some positions. Let's get started with my favorite exercise: a ten-mile run!" All the kids began groaning and chattering over one another. "Fine! Once around the lake and we'll go from there."_

_As they trotted off with Matt starting a humorous marching chant ("I had a little dreidel!"), Lorena stopped Rory to ask her a few questions, opening with whether Rory had the materials ready for her game session. Then she was curious about this young man who joined the crew last minute because of some heavy pull from the camp owners._

"_Matt seems really good with the kids," she said._

"_I think that's because he's twelve years old at heart."_

"_Certainly. And you two seem to know one another."_

_Rory blushed. "Not in the Biblical sense or anything."_

"_I didn't ask. I was just curious what brings him here. He's just… different. He's good with the kids, but he seems not to care. And that black eye he gave Ricardo with the painted-binoculars prank was either as childish as it gets, or it was a cry for help. How's his personal life?"_

"_I'm not sure. I know his girlfriend is a bit of a bitch and he had some strange episode with a bunch of clones."_

_Lorena rolled her eyes. "I believe you if you say you don't know him well enough. I don't assume everyone from the same school knows each other intimately, and I've seen enough counselors flirt with one another. Just make sure you both curb your feelings around the kids."_

"_That's not even an issue. He's probably just trying to do something different for a while. He's spent pretty much his whole life with his best friend, except for the time he was with his girlfriend."_

"_The bitch," Lorena noted, drawing a shameful smile from Rory. "Right. That explains why he spends a lot of time acting like a jackass."_

"_He's not acting. But he is a pretty good guy. He deserves better than her."_

Rory almost forgot about the duel until she saw the giant fireball heading past her monster. Kasumi activated Inferno Fire Blast and her Red-Eyes Black Dragon (2400), a much taller and bilaterally armed version of her Deck Master, spouted a direct attack.

Quickly, Rory activated her Trap, which produced a canister that sprayed high-pressure gas in front of the fireball. "Fusion Guard negates Effect Damage if I discard one card from my Extra Deck." The gas took the indistinct shape of a long-bodied dragon with powerful claws as she discarded Oriental Dragon.

"Blocked one attack," Kasumi noted, "but Non-Spellcasting Area allows my Red-Eyes to attack regardless of other Spells." The shiny, black dragon spewed a steady stream of fire engulfing Rory's set Dread Dragon (2/1100/400) and sending the small dragon and its purple hat to the Graveyard. In exchange, Rory moved Dragunity Darkspear (3) to her hand.

Kasumi grumbled, "First you try to take my boyfriend, and then you take the cards my best friend uses?"

"She doesn't have a monopoly on them," Rory replied. "Low-level dragons work well for me. I may yet try adapting some of your cards." But for now, she was just considering it.

_One thing about sleeping so near a lake for four weeks was a slight game of luck involved with the smells of the morning. Most days, the summer breeze carried the scents of flowers and natural water. But this morning, something must have died in the water. The air smelled incredibly foul and salty. She and all the girls in the cabin got dressed and hurried outside with their hands covering their noses._

"_What's going on?" Leticia asked. She was wearing a wet, one-piece swimsuit, having already been out to the lake this morning. But as soon as she got close to Rory, her hand immediately moved to her nose and mouth. "Oh, goodness. What is that stench?"_

"_It smells like a fat guy's crotch after he ran a mile," Rory agreed colorfully. The cabin's other inhabitants agreed with that assessment._

"_Is it coming from the cabin?" Leticia asked. "Let's get away from here."_

_Matt was on the basketball court, trying to perfect a jump shot that consistently banged off the base of the rim. He was shirtless, and Rory couldn't help thinking that even for a guy his size, his lats looked like his back exploded. He tried a few more shots, half of which were successful, before noticing that Rory was staring at him. He put on a smile and approached her._

_And he quickly regretted it. "Oh, geez. What reeks? Did a skunk take a dump on a dead fish?"_

"_I don't know. The smell was there when I woke up." She cautiously sniffed the air again and realized, "Why a dead _fish_?" He put on a sly, somewhat sexy smirk, but he never responded. "Do not tell me you put something in my cabin overnight."_

"_It's just a can of sardines."_

"_Oh!" Given the craziness spawned by the odiferous air, she gave in to her first violent instinct and pushed him with one hand, immediately enjoying the feel of his skin. "You are going to do whatever it takes to remove that smell _right now!_"_

"_Fine. I know lots of things with stronger smells than sardines."_

"_Forget it. I'll do it myself. Just promise me you will never prank me again."_

_He smiled. "I promise not to play pranks on you."_

The green field in front of Kasumi expanded rapidly until it filled the field, granting access to a five-headed beast with girth to support the weight and strength of its necks. Formed from the fusion of five elemental dragons, the Five-Headed Dragon (5000) was nearly invincible against attack.

Rory wasn't planning to attack.

"I'll activate Darklight," she said. A bright, pale light spouted from her card and shot across the field, crossing through her Cyberdark Keel (2500) and drawing darkness from its body before piercing the Five-Headed Dragon. "By sacrificing my monster, your Specially Summoned monster is destroyed." The light drew enough energy from Cyberdark Keel to disintegrate it, and the piercing light eliminated the enormous beast. "Your trump card is gone."

"Oh, please," Kasumi scoffed. "Matt doesn't have just one trump card, does he? In fact, can you name one person at this school who has just one trump card? Five-Headed Dragon was just a decoy." She immediately sent her Masked Dragon out of the game, and her Red-Eyes came back. Twisted by the darkness of Kasumi's envy, her dragon was encased in metallic armor, the sheen betraying the true depth of its color. "I summon the Red-Eyes Darkness Metal Dragon (10/2800/2400)."

Rory had never seen a Red-Eyes monster like this one. The aura coming from it reminded her of Citrinitas. She never quite figured out what Citrinitas was—he looked like Matt's twin brother, but Matt denied having any siblings—but she absolutely remembered the shiver she felt in her nerves when his mystical cards hit the field. This Darkness Metal Dragon produced the same energy. Its energy expanded and took the form of the Red-Eyes Black Dragon from the Graveyard. And Rory left herself open for a direct attack! When the blast struck her, she distinctly felt the heat, and even through the hologram system, the fire felt real.

"That pain you feel as the fire scorches your skin?" Kasumi spoke. "That's nothing compared with the pain of wanting what everyone else has!" Maybe it was the steam in Rory's eyes, but it almost looked like Kasumi was crying. "Why does Matt cling to you when he never clung to me? I had to be the one to ask _him_ out!"

That was news to Rory. "Really?"

Kasumi's voice was strained, like that of a young woman one step shy of giving up on everything. "He never came to me when he was stressed or tired. I've always had to seek him out. We talked it out on a regular basis, but nothing ever changed."

Rory wasn't sure if the sudden tightness in her stomach was because of the fire or if guilt wracked her conscience. Her goal in flirting with Matt was to draw him to her, and she always believed that all's fair in love, but she never realized that Matt cared so much more for her than he ever did for Kasumi. His presence in her room now was proof of Kasumi's point, and there was that one evening over the summer when he finally opened up just a little…

"I'm sorry," Rory uttered. "I never intended to be so heartless. Some things just don't follow our expectations." Following that thought, she played Overload Fusion: An explosion in her Graveyard produced a mechanical tank of charcoal steel with four dragonoid heads. When she added Limiter Removal to double the Chimeratech Overdragon's (+6400) power, the four heads pierced the armor of both Kasumi's dragons. A steaming cloud of shadows spewed from the duel and engulfed the area as it ended the duel.

* * *

_I don't think this chapter came out quite right. One or two major editing sessions would probably be enough to strengthen it, but I want to present it tonight. It's a lot longer than originally planned, which is why the duel skips a few beats, but it still would have played out in only three or four turns per duelist. Someone among you may be able to determine exactly the sequence of cards I came up with based on the skeleton provided._

_Next week, we'll take a short break from the growing concern over the Ghost Duelist to revisit the GX Tournament. As the numbers wind down, Kaiba Corp. has the lead, but one member of Titus's team holds cards rumored to be as powerful as the Egyptian God Cards. Many of Duel Academy's finest have already fallen to the sheer power of his gods. Can anyone beat him?_

_Credits:_  
_Logan Wilson...MercWithTheMouth13_  
_Alister Kazama & Jessica Parks...ZaneKazama001_  
_Lili Von...Happy2BMe_  
_Mitsuro Itachu...Titanic X_  
_Tai Ishihara...ZAFT Prime_  
_Romulus Malligan...Maximus1_


	35. AEsir of Dark Worlds

Chapter 35: Æsir of Dark Worlds

Charlie was a man of routine. It helped him to be with such a rigid schedule. He was still just a college student, even as aide-de-camp for the great Seto Kaiba. Like clockwork, he arrived at his desk each morning by quarter to six, read through his emails, and reviewed the schedule for the day. And every day, he entered Mr. Kaiba's office at six o'clock on the dot to find his boss had been there the whole time. Seto Kaiba was among the earliest risers Charlie ever knew. His idea of retiring into luxury was to continue running Kaiba Corp. himself.

Unfortunately, he didn't give himself much time for things like television.

"Did the Colts win this past week?" he asked Charlie.

"No, they got trounced."

"Charlie," replied Seto with a brief sigh. "When I ask if the Colts won, you can just tell me 'yes' or 'no.'"

"They were pretty well trounced," he repeated.

"Right. Any news for today?"

"Mr. Austin filed a report about the progress of the GX tournament."

"Anything significant?"

"The gist of it is there are more participants remaining on the Kaiba Corp. side than on the Titus Industries side. Students, mostly. A few employees. He's concerned with one man dueling for the other side: Orik Eklund. Even though more Kaiba Corp. duelists remain, Mr. Eklund has defeated more of our duelists himself than the number of Titus duelists our duelists have beaten combined."

Seto growled. "That figures. Titus has obviously cheated by hiring a dueling mercenary to ensure his victory."

"Mr. Austin would agree with that assessment, sir."

"Maybe I should brush off my deck and go down there myself. Clear my schedule."

"Yes, sir." Charlie didn't even flinch at the request. The competitive side of his boss worked in tandem with the side that had difficulty trusting people. For the moment, the sides joined for the conclusion that the only person who could beat the mercenary was the legendary Seto Kaiba himself.

"What am I clearing?"

Charlie recited the schedule from his PDA. "You have a meeting with Dr. Wayne from R&D about his new duel glasses idea."

Seto groaned. "Now I'm _definitely_ going to Duel Academy. Where's my deck?"

"You gave it to your grandson fifteen years ago."

"Why would I do that?"

"It was the only way for you to stay retired from dueling."

Seto let out a long, irritated sigh as he sat back down at his desk and relaxed as if to complete another day at the office. "I suppose I've changed my mind about going to Duel Academy."

"Imagine my surprise."

"Your sarcasm is lost on me." He retrieved a summary pitch left on his desk overnight giving the bullet points of the duel glass technology. "When is my meeting with Wayne?"

"Twenty minutes, sir."

"That man is incredibly boring."

"You hired him for his three degrees in engineering—not for entertainment."

"Do I have anything more exciting today?"

"You have a nine o'clock meeting with Mr. Hoskins. He's supposed to update you on his investigation into the rumors that Titus is using coffee to smuggle drugs into and out of the country."

"That's much more exciting." After reading the first few points on Dr. Wayne's report, Seto looked up again. "Charlie, this is going to be one of those days. Will you please bring me some aspirin or a weapon of some kind to kill people with?"

"Yes, sir."

"There had better be someone left at Duel Academy to beat that mercenary."

"Yes, sir."

* * *

Leila couldn't believe she'd lasted a full week through the GX Tournament. With fewer than fifty duelists remaining, her growth through the years of study was finally starting to show. She may be a resident of the Yellow Dorm, but she and her brother were the last Yellow Duelists left in this tournament. Even Matt, the favorite to go all the way, lost days earlier. (She felt bad he was just laid up in the health center, though.)

Now that classes were over and she'd had lunch, she needed to find today's opponent. Usually the quad was the best place. Sooner or later, everyone ended up there, and it was a rather public place in case any of Titus's employees were violent or predatory. Quite the contrary, as she stood there in the shade playing with her Duel Disk, the man who approached her looked very boyishly handsome. He had black hair, perfectly combed and medium in length, and he wore a mustache-goatee combination that looked pretentious on most guys but perfect on him. She couldn't help blushing when she realized he was making eye contact while closing the gap. What was she supposed to say to him?

"Hello there," he spoke. His voice still sounded young, but it was dripping with confidence. He sounded simply sexy.

"Hi," she responded coyly. She couldn't think up anything else to say.

"I couldn't help noticing you across the quad," he continued. "Your hair is amazing. Even in the shade, you shine like the sun out here. It's quite beautiful." Leila generally liked her hair, but she sometimes felt like her hair made her look old, or maybe Swedish. In the wrong light, her platinum blonde locks appeared white or gray. She'd never heard someone else call her hair beautiful.

"Thank you."

Looking at her arm, he added, "I see you're a duelist, too."

That comment brought her attention to his forearm, which held a T-shaped Duelist Disk bearing the Titus Industries logo. "Oh! That's why you're here now."

"Well, it was what brought me here," the man admitted. "Admiring your hair is a treat for me that wouldn't happen without the benefit of this tournament. Even if I last no longer in this tournament, this vision alone is worth the trip to this island." He winked at her, and she responded with fluster. He gently took her hand in his. "My name is Orik. Would you care to join me in a duel?"

"Let go of my sister!" Linear Locklear ran down the sidewalk like his deck was on fire. In appearance, he looked very similar to Leila, including, to a large degree, his feminine appearance. He pushed Orik away from Leila and broke their temporary bond. "You're not getting to her."

"Hello Linear," Orik spoke calmly, though much of the silkiness of his voice faded. "You say this loveliness is your sister? I had no idea."

"How could you _not_?" Linear remarked. "We're twins."

"I suppose what I meant to say was, I have a hard time believing you are her sister when she is so much more levelheaded and polite than you."

Leila asked, "What's wrong?"

With a bit of a snarl, Linear told her, "This guy's sneaky. He talks all nice and friendly, but he's dangerous."

"Are you sure? He was just telling me that my hair is beautiful."

"'Shines like the sun,' right?"

"Yes…"

Linear scoffed. "Yeah. He said the same thing to me."

Orik chuckled defensively. "I thought you were a young lady." The comment only seemed to make Linear angrier.

"He's a deceitful duelist. He acts all kind and flirty just to throw you off your game. He's a dueling devil. He plays fast and furious, and he'll summon a really powerful synchro monster he calls a god card."

"Are there really more god cards?" Leila asked.

"Why not duel me and find out?" Orik offered.

"I already told you not to touch my sister," Linear challenged. "That means keep your hands off her and her GX medals."

Orik shrugged and looked exasperated. "I have to duel _someone_. That's the whole point to this tournament. And seeing how I already beat you, your sister is my preferred choice for my next opponent. I have to obtain _all_ the medals in order to win the tournament."

"He's right," Linear told his sister. "But I've dueled him once. _I_ know how to beat him."

"You lost your medals?"

"I did, but if you let me borrow yours, I swear I will beat him this time."

Orik perked up. "Duel you again? So I get another horde of medals from dueling a girl I already know how to beat?"

"I'm a guy!" Linear screamed back.

"Yet I'm not convinced. But I will accept this challenge: I duel you for your sister's medals."

"Are you okay with that?" Linear asked his sister.

Leila knew her brother could be incredibly stubborn and sometimes he had a quick temper, but he actually seemed mostly calm right then. His hand was steady as he challenged Orik, and he sounded sure that he figured out how to win, perhaps just one card short last time. If she were much of a gambler, she would bet on her brother as the better duelist ten times out of ten.

"Okay, Lin. Beat him for me."

He grinned in reply. "Of course."

"Same Deck Masters as last time?" Orik suggested.

"Of course. I choose Red-Eyes Darkness Metal Dragon." He took a few paces back to provide room for his red-eyed dragon, scales sleek like metal.

"And I will again summon Tyr of the Nordic Champions." The warrior's body was hidden by a heavy, blue cloak but for the golden breastplate visible along the neckline. "You want me to go first again?"

"Duh."

"Have it your way. I'll summon Mara of the Nordic Alfar (2/1000/500)." The air in front of him darkened as a blue imp appeared from nowhere. "You remember her? She tunes with two monsters in my hand so I can summon Loki, Lord of the Aesir (10/3300/3000)." His blue imp disappeared just as suddenly, but her residue energy sparked the appearance of a tall, lanky monster with a jester-like appearance, from his flamboyant robes to his curved hat.

"You're not wasting any time," Linear commented.

"I see no reason to. I'll set one card and end my turn."

As Linear's Duel Disk lit up, he couldn't swear to it, but he was pretty sure that face down card was a bluff. "I'll start with Special Hurricane. I discard one card to destroy the Special Summoned monsters on the field." The wind swirled wildly around Loki, growing in strength until it reached the level of a hurricane. A bolt of white lightning flashed through the eye and struck Loki, disintegrating him instantly.

"He's just going to come back at the end of the turn. You know this."

"But until then, your Life Points are wide open. Now for Red-Eyes' ability: I banish one dragon from play to summon any dragon from my hand." He removed the dragon he discarded for his Spell and summoned Horus the Black Flame Dragon LV6 (6/2300/1600)." Before his silver dragon even finished roaring, its body shone brightly and grew into a brilliant, eagle-like Horus the Black Flame Dragon LV8 (8/3000/1800). "And Level Up! lets my monster evolve on the spot. Plus I'll throw down Mirage Dragon (4/1600/600)." This dragon had a long body, armored by plated mail and with a scythe at the tip of its tail.

"Clever. A direct attack of more than half my Life Points, and your Mirage Dragon even prevents me from activating Traps. Not bad. Maybe you really are one step closer to beating me."

"One step? No, I've got you beaten this time." His Black Flame Dragon covered the field with a high-pressure stream of black fire while the Mirage Dragon shot through the rising steam toward Orik's front, yet struck him from behind as the front was only an illusion.

"A well-prepared attack," Orik admitted, "but my card was a bluff. I'll activate Gleipnir, the Fetters of Fenrir." A burst of light emerged from his Duel Disk and enabled him to move a Nordic monster from his deck to his hand.

Wordlessly Linear placed another card down and ended his turn.

Linear 8000: Orik 8000 – 3000 – 1600 = 3400.

Leila silently clenched a fist, trying to hide her excitement. A small crowd was gathering around at the sight of a new god card. Most of the onlookers were students, understandably, but one of them was a young man who looked vaguely familiar. He wore a Duel Disk on his arm as he watched the duel. Leila assumed he was another of Titus's employees set to challenge Linear the second he won.

Even though Linear was off to a strong start, Loki (3300) revived during the End Phase. But then, Horus let Linear pick and choose which Spells he wanted to let activate, and Mirage Dragon prevented Orik from using Traps during the Battle Phase. It all came down to the powers Loki had.

As soon as Orik drew his card, Linear said, "I'll activate Rush Recklessly." Horus's (+3700) power immediately grew; Linear knew Loki was stronger than Horus for the moment, but he also knew Loki would negate the Spell if he tried to play it during the Battle Phase. This seemed the surest way to avoid having his monster destroyed.

"Okay…" Orik uttered. "Perhaps Graceful Charity will give me something worth playing." An angel on the field offered him an exchange of cards, but he didn't look pleased. "So much for that. I'll set one monster and card and attack Mirage Dragon (1600) with Loki (3300)." The jester-like monster simply pointed and lowered his thumb as if mimicking the hammer dropping on a revolver. An icicle spear fired across the field and pierced the armored dragon.

Linear 8000 – 1700 = 6300: Orik 3400.

"I'll play Future Fusion," Linear said as a green time warp appeared on the field and drew in five dragons from his deck. "In two turns, I'll have the Five-Headed Dragon, and he'll dominate your Aesir God guy. Even better, my Deck Master lets me banish a dragon from my Graveyard to summon another one: Mirage Dragon (1600)." Once more, his illusionist dragon appeared on the field, bringing a slight haze with it. "Now I'll summon Exploder Dragon (3/1000/0)." This dragon was small even next to the Mirage Dragon, a prototypical dragon with blue scales and carrying a spiked bomb.

"Nice lineup."

"No Spells and no Traps while I attack. And Exploder Dragon automatically destroys the monster it attacks without suffering any damage to me." The blue dragon flew high into the sky and dove straight into Loki (3300), bringing along its bomb. A massive explosion of spikes and shrapnel left no survivors of the confrontation. "Now Horus (3000) can obliterate your face down monster." In a stream of black flames, Tanngrisnir of the Nordic Beasts (3/1200/800) turned to ash.

"When you destroy Tanngrisnir," Orik explained, "I get to summon two Nordic Beast Tokens (3/0/0) in defense mode." Two heavyset, white goats with angry snarls bounded onto the field.

Linear grunted. "You protected yourself, then. I'll at least have Mirage Dragon (1600) destroy one of the Tokens." One of the goats was distracted by an illusory dragon when it was devoured from behind.

"Destroying a monster lets me summon Tanngnjostr of the Nordic Beasts (3/800/1100) from my hand." Another heavyset goat, this one was black and had just as fierce a snarl as the others.

Linear reluctantly ended his turn without a face down card.

"Here goes," Orik said wickedly as he revived Loki again. "I'll summon Vanadis of the Nordic Ascendant (4/1200/400) and tune her with my other two monsters." A winged woman with large, demonic eyes appeared on the field just long enough to turn herself and both goats into ionic clouds, ultimately parting to reveal a massive, muscular warrior wielding a war hammer the size of himself. "Here's Thor, Lord of the Aesir (10/3500/2800). And between these two, the duel is over."

"You have _two_ gods?"

"Of course. Thor and Loki are step-brothers, after all. First up, Thor negates the effects of all your monsters." Lightning built in the sky and successively struck each of Linear's monsters. "Next, I'll arm Thor with Divine Relic Mjollnir." The war hammer Thor held was replaced with a one-handed hammer, smaller in size but greater in overall power. "With that, he can attack twice. And not to neglect Loki, I'll give him Nordic Relic Draupnir." A gold, gem-studded bracer appeared on Loki's (+4100) shooting arm.

"Now I'll attack."

* * *

Social Psychology with Dr. Sasha Kerr was probably Rory's favorite class this semester. She was learning so much about the way people communicate with one another and how they come by biased thinking. They just discussed the evidence of a fake civil court case and determined the defendant to be guilty. Now she and three classmates were grouping to discuss the damages they were going to award the plaintiff. It was part of a demonstration of group polarization, the tendency for beliefs to get more extreme when discussed in a group.

But first, Synthia Spencer, one of her best friends, asked her, "How's the tournament going?"

"So far so good," Rory answered cautiously. Synthia was still a bit sensitive on the fact that she was knocked out of the tournament on her first duel. On top of that, she was the first person dropped in the entire tournament.

"How many medals do you have now?"

"I've lost count."

"Only strong duelists left," claimed Sean Bivins. He pointed proudly at Rory and said, "I'm honored to say that you and I are both on the same team. Maybe you can teach me what I'm doing wrong with my Deck Masters."

Maikeru suggested, "Start by not sending your Deck Master to the Graveyard just to draw more cards."

"We should get started on this assignment," Rory suggested. She was proud of being in the spotlight as one of the longest-lasting duelists, but she didn't like doing it during class where everyone else felt the need to compete for self-worth.

"There's one guy you'll really have to look out for," Synthia warned. "You remember him. Dreamy, sweet talker, sociopathic. That card Loki, Lord of the Aesir is tough."

"Lord of the Aesir?" Maikeru repeated. "You mean _Thor_."

"No, Loki. Why are you in this conversation?"

"Because the same guy took my medals," he answered. "But he played Thor. That monster was tough. I built up Necroface to be really strong and he still came back and beat me. It revived itself from the Graveyard."

"Never mind that weakling," Synthia replied. "Loki stopped me from using Traps. He even made it strong enough to kill my Dark Paladin. It was like a god card."

"Two new god cards?" Sean asked. "Too bad Bryan's not around to use Uria. He might be able to finish that guy off pretty quickly. But don't gods usually come in threes?"

"Good point," Synthia said. Looking to Rory, she said, "You're basically screwed if you come across that guy."

Rory groaned at the thought. She was getting nervous now that she was one of a waning group of students still in it. "It wasn't a god card when it was just _you_ telling the story." (Ha!)

* * *

Linear clenched his fist tightly, feeling a mix of frustration and disbelief. "How could I lose again? Why didn't I expect that there's be _two_ gods in his deck?"

"Don't take it so hard, kid," Orik said as he accepted the medals from Leila. "Honestly, you're actually very good. For a guy wearing a yellow jacket here, you're better than a lot of the guys wearing blue. I make my living dueling circles around talented duelists. I thrive in this kind of environment. You never stood a chance against me. The better you are, the better I will be."

"I refuse to believe that," Linear growled. He held up one finger on his right hand. "One more duel. One more, and I know I can wipe the floor with you."

"Nice confidence, but I have no interest in a third duel with you. I'm only interested in opponents with GX Medals. When I obtain all of them and finish this tournament, Titus is letting me keep all the broadcasting profits. That's some serious dough. I can't waste time beating the same kid over and over. Besides, I'll look like a bully."

"I don't accept it," Linear repeated. "I know I can beat you. I just need one more duel. I won't stop until I get that."

"Good for you, Locklear."

Among the crowd were several jacketed Duel Academy students, impressed with the showing Linear put up against Thor, and a few visiting duelists. One of the visitors stepped up and placed a reassuring hand on Linear's shoulder. This young man wasn't much older than Linear, but he stood head-and-shoulders higher, with a skinny frame, stringy hair, and thick glasses over his face.

"Every loss is an opportunity to fight back and grow stronger," the man said, agreeing with the sentiment Linear expressed. "You've earned a short break, though. Why not let me try him before you get your rematch? Maybe it'll relieve some of the stress on you."

Linear didn't quite recognize the young man, but he looked awfully familiar. He wore an Academy-style Duel Disk on his arm, and it was obvious from the shine that this guy took very good care of the equipment. He was an obvious nerd, and his voice didn't display much confidence, but his demeanor spoke volumes about the skill that must underlie his mild-mannered appearance.

"And who are you?" Orik asked.

"I'm just a Kaiba Corp. senior IT technician. I've got the medals you seek." He wore only one pinned to his t-shirt, but he opened the deck box he attached to the belt loop of his jeans and revealed the GX medals he'd collected. He opted not to line his clothes with them because they were getting really heavy at this point.

"Fine by me. I'm Orik. What should I call you?"

"Justin's fine." He looked back to Linear. "I promise I'm just giving you a moment to rest. As soon as this duel is over, you'll be on even footing and can get that rematch from him."

Orik scoffed. "You're that confident you'll win? You saw how unstoppable I am with Thor and Loki, right?"

"What I saw was a couple of really strong cards that can be beaten."

"Big talk from some low-level Kaiba grunt."

"So I'll go first, then?" Justin placed Snoww, Unlight of Dark World on his Duel Disk as Deck Master—a woman with purple skin that shone in the sunlight. She wore a white cape and carried a staff by her side.

As the blue-caped centurion appeared on the field again and drew his sword, Orik declared, "I'll use Tyr of the Nordic Champions again."

"Let's duel. I'll set three cards and place one monster in defense mode."

Orik smiled at the field. "I've seen your cards before. I watch the videos of every duel multiple times to learn about my opponents. I know every card you've played in this tournament, and I even know when you're likely to play them. For example, your facedown cards are some attempt to discard from your hand so you can summon your Dark World monsters."

"And the cards in your hand are probably intended to summon Thor or Loki. My guess is Loki because he's easier to summon."

"Good guess, but you're wrong this time. I'll summon Valkyrie of the Nordic Ascendant (2/400/800)." Valkyrie was a little girl with shiny wings, bright eyes, and a cute little dress. "Since you have a monster, I banish two cards from my hand to summon two Einherjar Tokens (4/1000/1000)." Each of these tokens looked like pixie versions of her Valkyrie. "You still think you can stop me from Synchro Summoning?"

Justin shook his head without showing any concern. He pushed his glasses back in place and asked, "Can you summon Loki with that card? I thought you needed a Nordic Alfar tuner."

"I can't, and I'm not trying. I'm summoning Odin, Father of the Aesir (10/4000/3500)." The monster that emerged on the field stood as tall as the hologram projectors would go. Wearing a wizard's hat, a glorious red cloak, and a beard down to his belly and wielding a long, golden spear, Odin was the very image of wisdom-with-age. "For caution's sake, I'll activate Odin's effect for immunity to Spell and Trap effects before I attack." Odin reared back and hurled his spear into the sky; a moment later, the spear dropped straight down on top of Justin's monster.

"You flipped my Morphing Jar," Justin said as a formless shadow leaped out of the broken jar and struck Orik's hand. "We both discard our hands and draw five new cards." He tossed out his two cards and smiled. A small goblin jumped on Odin and stabbed him at the base of the skull, and then a demon wearing a blue cape appeared in front of Orik.

"How convenient you were forced to discard your hand," Orik mocked.

"Agreed. Kahkki, Guerilla of Dark World destroys one monster on the field when he's discarded from my hand, and Ceruli, Guru of Dark World (1/100/300) Special Summons himself to your field."

Orik finished drawing his cards. "Now Ceruli forces you to discard a card, right?"

"Very good. I'll discard Sillva, Warlord of Dark World (5/2300/1400)." A large, horned demon with silver joints and bones appeared on the field. Slowly, it drew a long dagger and held it with a reversed grip. With one swipe, it cut two cards in Orik's hand. "Since _you_ discarded it, Sillva's effect activates: You put two cards from your hand back into the bottom of your deck."

"I know what your cards do," he said as he set two cards. "What they _don't_ do is prevent Odin's revival at the end of my turn." He removed Valkyrie from play and the giant god reappeared on the field.

"I've got something for that, too," Justin replied. "It starts with Snoww's effect. Each time you discard a card from my hand, I get to discard a card from your hand and move an extra fiend monster to my hand. Next I'll summon Fabled Raven (2/1300/1000)," a man wearing a black mask and with bladed feathers growing from his arms. "I'll discard one card, and Raven (+3) grows by one level. And that discarded card was Beiige, Vanguard of Dark World (4/1600/1300)," a blue-skinned, muscular demon with bone armor. "Now it's my turn to tune." The two monsters resonated as sound waves and merged into Dark Highlander (7/2800/2300), a stout monster wearing heavy armor that doubled the size of its body and wielding a scythe big enough for two fields.

"Not big enough."

"No, but he does prevent either of us from Synchro Summoning. That means Odin is alone. No Thor and no Loki to help him."

"Odin is the father of the gods. Does he look like he needs help?"

"You sound like someone I knew about three years ago. I beat him, too. I'll use Dark Smog to banish Vanadis of the Nordic Ascendant from your Graveyard and discard Grapha, Dragon Lord of Dark World from my hand."

"I'm impressed you'd try such a strategy."

"I always review my opponent's discarded cards."

Orik grinned. "Tyr's Deck Master effect kicks in here. Once per turn, he negates any effect that targets a Nordic monster." The warrior slashed at the gathering smog and cleared it away, negating its effect.

"Too bad he doesn't protect the Aesir. Grapha's discard effect will destroy Odin just like before." A black dragon with horns out of every node on its body burst from the ground as if fighting for survival against quicksand; unable to win the fight, it clung to Odin, dragging him down simultaneously.

"I'll just bring him back."

"That's why I'll also use Dark Smog to discard Gren, Tactician of Dark World and banish Vanadis again. Tyr can't protect her twice." Smog gathered around Orik's Graveyard, but Tyr couldn't resist it this time. At the same time, a demon wearing a green cape dismantled the facedown card in front of Orik.

"You've left me all but powerless," Orik noted. "Save for my one facedown card."

Justin's expression didn't change. "Dark World decks are fast and strong. I'm not too worried." Sillva (2300) slipped across the field like a blur, slipping its large blade into Ceruli (100). Dark Highlander (2800) leaped bounded straight at Orik and gave a short leap to slam his scythe into Orik directly.

"Before you think about ending your turn," Orik said, "I'll activate my other facedown card. Burial from a Different Dimension will return Valkyrie and Vanadis to my Graveyard."

"That will end my turn."

"And with those words, I'll remove Valkyrie to revive Odin." The massive god card rose once more on the field, dwarfing Justin's monsters.

Orik 8000 – 2200 – 2800 = 3000: Justin 8000.

"Let's see if I can manage a comeback during this turn."

"It wouldn't be the first time."

"Certainly not. I'll play Card of Sanctity." Golden coins began to rain from the sky.

Justin hummed. "Been a while since I've seen that card played."

"Well, this exceptionally rare card comes with a risk, but it will allow me to summon my other gods."

"Will it? Let's see. I'll activate Mind Crush. Do you have Guldfaxe in your hand?"

"No."

Justin shrugged. "Well, I guess I have to discard, then." Another version appeared of his demon with the bone armor. "You remember Beiige (1600)?"

"Yes. Care to try again?"

"Actually, I do," Justin affirmed. "I have a second Mind Crush here. Do you have Mara in your hand?"

Orik growled. "I do."

"Well, lucky me. This time, _you_ discard. That should put a damper on your Synchro efforts."

"Yes. I'll start with my Battle Phase, attacking Dark Highlander (2800)." Odin (4000) threw his spear again, letting it rain straight down on Justin's scythe-wielding samurai. "Now I have the opportunity to summon Mara of the Nordic Alfar (2/1000/500) through the effect of Premature Burial." The air in front of him darkened as a blue imp appeared from nowhere. "With her ability, she tunes with two monsters in my hand so I can summon Loki, Lord of the Aesir (10/3300/3000)." His blue imp disappeared just as suddenly, but her residue energy sparked the appearance of a tall, lanky monster with a jester-like appearance.

"That was your big, strategic move? Anyone could come up with that play."

Justin was talking big, but Leila and her brother saw the field more objectively: Orik had two god cards on the field now, and in the whole tournament, few were able to defeat _one_. A big lead in points meant nothing in the face of two god cards.

"Further, I'll place two cards facedown and end my turn."

Orik 3000 – 800 = 2200: Justin 8000 – 1200 = 6800.

"You're making this too easy," Justin commented.

"You sure about that?"

"Pretty sure. To start, I'll return Beiige to my hand in order to summon Grapha, Dragon Lord of Dark World (8/2700/1800) from the Graveyard." Erupting from the Graveyard was a black dragon covered with so many shiny horns that a hug would kill even an armored monster. "I can't imagine either of those facedown cards being helpful, so I'll play Dark World Lightning. Your card is destroyed and I must discard in exchange."

"Excellent aim," Orik noted. "This card is a useful one, so I'll go ahead and activate it. Nordic Relic Megingjord doubles the power of Odin (+8000/+7000) until the end of the turn."

"Not exactly to plan, but I discarded Ceruli. You know what that means." The blue-caped demon revived itself on Orik's field again. "Here's my discard: Goldd, Wu-Lord of Dark World (5/2300/1400)," a tall, muscular demon equipped with gold armor and a gold partisan in hand. "When summoned by my opponent's effect, Goldd destroys two cards on the opponent's field. You have two gods, right?" Goldd slashed heavily with his partisan; the dark shockwaves sliced Loki in half, but sheer force of will prevented the waves from cutting into Odin.

"Odin's Solemn Authority negates any targeting effects. You may have destroyed Loki, but Odin (8000) remains a threat against you."

"That Odin is one tough cookie," Justin admitted. "But now that I know what both your facedown cards were, I have a way to win."

"Impossible. The only way to beat Odin right now is to overpower him."

"You have no idea how badly I want to. But I've already set this duel up for a victory. Unsure what I mean? I've already summoned Ceruli (100) to your side of the field again." He nodded as if to permit his monsters to end the duel. Grapha (2700) reared back, roared, and lunged into Ceruli, goring the smaller monster. He smiled as Odin's massive, unbeatable form faded from the field. "I've dealt with god cards in the past. It's easy to get focused on them and lose sight of the path to victory."

Orik 2200 – 2600 = 0: Justin 6800.

Leila was shocked, and not just by how long it took for Orik to finish handing over all his GX medals. She couldn't quite figure out why this Justin character looked familiar, but whatever his story, he defeated the father of the god cards several times in one duel. Were all of Kaiba Corp.'s employees this strong?

* * *

_First, a response to all the reviews from last time*:_

_..._

_Second, the next chapter will pit a couple more Sins against opponents who hope to match their growing power. Maybe they know something Greed doesn't._

_Trivia: Orik was named for the original concept idea. I wanted the mercenary to use Orichalcos cards, but I changed my mind because it would be nearly impossible without either replicating a duel everyone knows already or making up new cards, which I try to do as rarely as possible._

_Credits:_  
_Leila and Linear Locklear...Windraider_  
_Synthia Spencer...MadlyChessur_  
_Maikeru Stone...onyxshade7_  
_Sean Bivins...DarkVestroia2_

_*I know sarcasm is unbecoming (and difficult to detect online), but I'm okay with that as long as it amuses me._


	36. Absolution

Chapter 36: Absolution

Classes hadn't even started by the time Vic knew it was going to be one of those days. For starters, Hayley's persona had given way to Serpentina's crankier self and disappeared in the middle of the night. There was no telling where she went, but until she came back and told him a story bearing some level of seriousness, he was going to be a little bit cranky and suffer through thoughts of Hayley's darker side attaching to some new guy on a whim the same way she attached to him. It was a longstanding fear of his and one feature of his life that did not alleviate his already caustic disposition.

And so, already cranky, Vic wasn't in the mood to put up with the insinuations Alister Kazama, a guy he never associated with beyond being a fellow Duel Academy student, hurled at him.

The conversation started with, "Where's Abel Shinzo?"

Annoyed, Vic replied, "Who are you?"

"We've had classes together. You've seen me with my fiancée Jessica, and Abel did something to her."

"Is she no longer your fiancée?" Vic snickered.

"Not like that. She's in the health center."

"What's wrong with her?"

"They said it's a 'coma-like' state. She's mostly unresponsive but she shows different brain activity from normal comas. It's like the Shadow Realm incident from two years ago."

At least now he had Vic's attention. "Abel put her in the Shadow Realm?"

"That's my suspicion. I need to know where he is."

"I haven't seen Abel in weeks. I'd heard rumors he was hanging out in the woods late at night. People were asking me if he was the Ghost Duelist. I guess that explains why he dropped out of the gang without saying anything."

Alister repeated, "Hanging out in the woods? Do you know where?"

"Maybe he built a treehouse."

"I need more information!"

"I don't have any for you," Vic snapped back. "Aren't you both residents of the Blue Mansion? Can't you look up his school record or something?"

"RAs can't do that, and I don't see how it would help."

"Just go to his room and try to find him there. That's the best I can give you right now. I seriously have not seen him for a long time."

Alister hung his head slightly, possibly in shame. "You're right. I'm sorry for coming off so strongly. Please let me know if you can help me find out what he did to Jessica." With that, he turned toward the dormitories and walked away.

"'Coming off _strongly_?'" Vic muttered to himself. "Waiters have given me more crap than that. I've had worse confrontations with Hayley when she's in a _good_ mood."

"Hey, Vic!"

As if his annoyance weren't big enough yet, now Carter Jade approached him with an eager, ravenous look in his eyes. "At the mention of food…" Vic uttered further. "What did Abel do to _your_ girlfriend that you need me to fix? I assume your girlfriend is a refrigerator, of course, or maybe the Pillsbury Doughboy."

Carter hardly seemed phased by the insults. The look in his eyes was not one of being bigger than the comments, but one of not even hearing them. Vic spent a lot of time with people at various levels of attentiveness, and Carter wasn't hearing anything he said. He was single-minded.

"I can't wait for tonight's duel club meeting. Can you invite twice as many people as last time?"

"Invitations?" Vic repeated. What an odd request for someone who always fixated on food. More people meant less food for him. "Since when are there invitations involved? The duel club has been successful by word-of-mouth."

"So you'll get more people tonight?"

"What do you care how many people there are?" he asked out loud. _And why does it sound like you could just as easily replace the word "people" with "chili cheese dogs"?_ he thought quietly to himself.

"I just think it will help the atmosphere."

"It's an underground dueling place for townies to pretend they have skills. How much do you actually think I'm worried about the atmosphere?"

Vic normally didn't care about people's motives as long as their actions worked in his favor. And if a request made no difference to him, he usually just went with it. Granted, he might've turned this one down because he didn't want to do more work, but he normally would have offered some generic permission-granting comment, such as, "Knock yourself out." Something about Carter's expression simply creeped him out.

"What's going on here?" asked the annoying voice of Lili Von, the scrappiest little girl who ever set foot at Duel Academy. Vic hated her for jumping way past him in the school rankings. She was short, underdeveloped in the chest, and annoyingly overpowered with her cards. It was shock enough she didn't fall into the top ten. Vic took that as karmic justice (even though he hardly knew how karma works).

"What do you want, Von?"

"Just curious what you guys are talking about."

"How is that any of your business?"

Carter sneered at her. "Yeah, Lili. Leave us alone. Vic's gonna bring more people to duel club."

"More people? So you can feed on their spirits?"

Vic chortled. "What? Feeding on their spirits? That's a new excuse. I guess it's better than 'he's big-boned.'"

Lili ignored him. "The more you feed, the dumber you seem to get. Is that some kind of side effect of feeding on spirit energy? Are you consuming your own energy by accident? Maybe the Ghost Duelist didn't give you enough power to sustain yourself."

"The Ghost Duelist?" Vic repeated, interested in the conversation again. Was Abel responsible for Carter's creepiness? First Jessica and now Carter? Come to think of it, Logan hadn't been around in a while. Maybe he was involved in this whole mess somehow.

_Hey, wait! He's kind of a dick. Is _he_ the Ghost Duelist? Maybe he actually brainwashed Abel into doing stuff._ Vic realized he was going to need more information. For just a little while, he needed to focus on something other than himself.

"Whoa!" Vic stumbled away from the others when they both whipped out their Duel Disks. Lili said something about spirit energy being tasty, and the air around Carter exploded. Not a literal explosion, of course, but it felt like a gas bomb went off. The temperature was so high Vic could see distortions in the air. The grass around Carter's feet pushed away from his feet and a few dead leaves disintegrated. Lili wasn't kidding around; Carter had some kind of power in him he didn't have before.

Vic always paid little mind to the Shadow Realm incident. It didn't directly affect him, and since he didn't care about anyone else, none of the afflicted meant anything to him. But he did remember feeling the fear that somewhere out there was something and someone who might consume his soul, just like in all those old Academy ghost stories. He backed away from Carter steadily, knowing this must be what that felt like.

"I'm surprised he fell for it," spoke the tree Vic almost bumped into. After his initial surprise passed, he realized it wasn't the tree speaking, but the student lying in the tree. Nathan Zislaw had a reputation for that. A lazy bastard, he was always somewhere he could see the action without having to participate.

"Fell for what?" Vic asked harshly, trying to regain his tough-guy composure.

"She baited Gluttony into a duel he didn't want to have. Don't get me wrong; she still doesn't stand a chance against the level of power he's attained, but her odds do improve just slightly."

Vic scowled at Nathan, wanting nothing more than to scoff and walk away, but there was one thing he couldn't ignore. Maybe Nathan could tell him, "What is that energy?"

With a yawn, he said, "Greed wants us to build up our power enough to fight the Ghost Duelist. He thinks the Ghost lied to us about bringing God to this world—that he actually wants to destroy it."

"O…kay… What do you think?" Vic asked slowly, flabbergasted.

"I think it hardly serves one well to destroy the world. He's too methodical for that. He's planned every step so far. Even I can't figure out his motives. I don't really care to try anymore, either. Once I figured out he's the only person I've met capable of thinking one step further than I can, it seemed pointless."

Vic thought to himself, _Abel is smarter than Nathan, and may or may not be trying to destroy the world?_ Geez, what did he step into?

"You're sure he's the only one who can outthink you?" Ivy Roaks was noticeable to Vic. (Try to find a cute girl who wasn't.) One of the campus's few redheads, she had green stars tattooed next to her eyes. From a distance, they looked like they held her glasses to her head. She sat in the grass drawing a picture of Nathan sleeping in the tree while Cactus Fighter—an image borrowed from one of her Duel Monsters cards—moved to poke him in the rear with its long spikes.

"Great. Another freak," Vic muttered. "Am I wearing some kind of magnet today?"

Nathan actually hopped down out of the tree when he saw Ivy. He wasn't graceful, but he didn't hurt himself, either. "Why are you here?"

She shrugged and gave a wry smile. "Rumors that you'd been acting weird lately. Now talk about some guy who's smarter than you?"

"He's not smarter than I," Nathan insisted.

"Are you sure? You can't figure out what he's planning, and that's supposed to be your whole claim to fame. You're the brilliant strategist, but someone else has you beat."

"You don't even come close to my level of thinking. Might as well be an ant trying to figure out man's destiny."

Her smirk didn't fade. "I don't know about that. I've learned a thing or two about you since we teamed up for that Tag Team Tournament. I bet I could take you out now."

Vic wouldn't even classify this banter as provocative, but Ivy obviously got under Nathan's skin. The air around him exploded the same way it had around Carter moments earlier. Instantly, sweat formed around Vic's hairline and his stomach tightened. The energy was intense. Even Ivy winced under the power, unable to resist completely and maintain her smugness. That very fact seemed to please Nathan.

"Still wish to 'take me out'?"

Ivy forced a difficult smile. "Yeah. That sounds like fun and not at all challenging."

Nathan growled in reply. "Draw your cards."

This was unbelievable. Vic had seen thousands of duels on this quad, with thousands of duelists with skills ranging from King of Games to Velcro is Easier. And even though he'd seen the effects of the Shadow Realm before, he'd never felt the effects coming straight off a person like he felt from Nathan and Carter. These two guys still looked like the kind of short nerds Vic would normally beat up and steal their girlfriends, but the air about them rendered them like powerful apparitions. Every step of the duels was dominated by intense, dark power.

Vic was horrorstruck. "Did Abel cause all of this?"

* * *

The swordsman moved like a blur, brandishing his twin blades with the fluidity of his own arms as he cut straight through the leather armor of Lili's Armageddon Knight (4/1400/1200). Driven Daredevil (7/2400/2100) carried a polearm on his back, wore greaves on his shins, and covered his face with a tight, scarf-like mask. He wasn't the biggest monster ever to grace the field, but he already proved powerful enough to destroy Lili's Chaos Sorcerer, and it even destroyed Black Luster Soldier with its deadly effect.

Lili 1200 – 1000 = 200: Carter 2800.

This duel was not as easy as Lili had hoped. She suspected Carter might be stronger now than he was at the beginning of the term, but this change was more than she prepared for. With the destruction of her Knight, she had only one card in her hand—a monster, too weak to do anything about the Daredevil—no cards on the field, and four of her monsters were banished in her failed efforts to win with chaos monsters. By contrast, Carter had an unbeatable warrior and three cards in his hand to provide backup as needed.

"Here we go," she uttered as she drew what might be her last card. "I'll banish Armageddon Knight and Honest to summon Chaos Emperor Dragon (8/3000/2500)." An enormous, green-scaled dragon wearing gold armor around its joints and wings burst onto the field, its mane like a blazing fire.

"That card won't help you," Carter said. He produced brief laughter that sounded almost like he was heaving. "You don't have enough Life Points to activate its effect, and it can't destroy my Daredevil." Any monster with more points than the Driven Daredevil was incapable of destroying it by battle, yet he would retaliate with that polearm on his back and kill any more powerful monster that failed to kill him.

Lili knew Chaos Emperor Dragon stood no chance against Carter's warrior.

"You truly have gotten stronger by consuming all that spirit energy," she admitted to Carter. He just heaved happily in reply. "I can feel the power you poured into your cards. You're really going all out on me, aren't you?"

"Greed wants all duelists marked. Your power will feed him the same way it feeds me."

"Right…" She clenched a fist, simply wishing her will power would be enough to provide a favorable outcome. "I really hope your brain restores itself when this duel is over." Inhaling sharply, she slapped down another card. "I'll summon Gren Maju Da Eiza (3/+2400/+2400)." A red beast with a mouthless face and a hardened, tailed body appeared on the field—small at first but growing quite rapidly until it nearly matched Driven Daredevil in girth.

"That's your trump card?"

"In this situation, yes," Lili explained. Gren Maju gains 400 points for each of my banished monsters. It's a difficult sacrifice, but now that it matches the power of your monster exactly, Daredevil can't protect himself. They'll both go down together!" The beast charged across the field and latched onto Driven Daredevil with its massive claws. The warrior resisted the pain enough to whip the polearm from his back and drive it into Gren Maju's chest. Both holding the position for a moment, Gren Maju tucked its neck and thrust its horned head into the warrior's chin. Both monsters disappeared from the field.

"And now, the field is open for a direct attack."

All that power he stored up erupted from Carter's body like an explosion as he tried to resist the golden fire streaming from the Chaos Emperor Dragon's tongue. The golden fire had infinite drive behind it whereas Carter felt the exhaustion. One flinch on his right side and the fire engulfed him completely.

Lili 200: Carter 2800 – 3000 = 0.

Lili watched Carter topple over backward, slamming into the ground hard. She leaned forward and clenched her fists tightly, trying desperately not to give in to the exhaustion that swamped her. Sleep was the only thing she could think about save the fear that if she slept, she might succumb to whatever secondhand effects that power would have on her. Her prediction was they weren't going to give her superpowers.

A spectator from the quad patted Lili on the shoulder softly, hoping to congratulate her on a tough duel. That soft pat was enough to collapse her to the ground; she had been asleep on her feet.

* * *

Ivy 3400 – 3000 = 400: Nathan 4900.

"Just stop trying to predict my moves," Nathan requested. "I've never had such an easy duel against a decent player. I'm genuinely offended you think I'm so predictable." Going by cards on the field, Nathan was simply dominating with his large, cybernetic demon looming over the field and obliterating Ivy's sunflower monster. "Overmind Archfiend (9/3300/3000) deals piercing damage over your Dandylion (3/300/300)." He acknowledged, "To your benefit, you do get two Fluff Tokens (1/0/0) as a result, but then again, Overmind Archfiend deals piercing damage to Tokens, too. Plus your Black Garden Field Spell gives me another Rose Token (2/800/800)."

"I've still got one facedown card," Ivy pointed out.

"That you haven't played for the past four turns. If you're going to bluff, do it right. That's probably just a Normal Spell you can't use yet that you had hoped would prevent me from attacking."

Ivy didn't respond to that.

"Your expression tells me I'm right. I've already rendered your Black Garden more harmful than helpful by getting Overmind without cutting its attack. Anything you summon will be weakened."

He sighed. "Per Overmind's ability, Psychic Nightmare is now banished from my Graveyard. That marks the end of my turn. All you've got now are two Fluff Tokens and a facedown bluff card. All I have is Overmind Archfiend. This is not a hopeless situation for you. Go ahead and see if you can find a Tribute monster strong enough to beat mine."

Upon drawing her card, Ivy smirked. "Here's a way to reduce Overmind's points: I'll play Murmur of the Forest to put it in defense mode." A steady breeze blew through the trees of her black garden, turning Overmind upside-down and into defense mode. The trees faded from the field, leaving the two duelists standing on the quad again. "I don't have a bigger monster in my hand, but I have one in my Extra Deck."

"So you drew a tuner?"

"Nope. I have one in the Graveyard. I'll banish Cactus Bouncer (4) to summon Spore (+5/400/800) from the Graveyard." If two fluffy seeds didn't present a piddly-enough defense, she added a monster that was just a small spore with eyes like sparkling sapphires. "Spore has the ability to gain levels equal to the level of the monster banished to summon it. With the Fluff Tokens, that gives me a tuner and seven levels. I'll tune my monsters together to summon Black Rose Dragon (7/2400/1800)!"

"Black Rose Dragon?" Nathan repeated aghast. Rose petals swirled around the field with the arrival of a rose-colored dragon. "That's a surprisingly good move."

"Then you'll love this part," Ivy continued. "When Black Rose Dragon is on the field, I can banish a plant from my Graveyard to switch Overmind Archfiend (-0) to attack mode and reduce its points to zero." The cybernetic demon suffered an electrical short during a flurry of rose petals. It metallic body had red spots stuck all over, leaking energy. "Now Black Rose Dragon (2400) can attack and deal about half the points you have left." The red dragon exhaled a tunnel of razor-sharp winds. At hurricane force, each rose petal carried by the wind tunnel tore huge chunks out of Overmind Archfiend's armor.

"I wish I could have seen that coming," Nathan mumbled. "If only I'd known you had Spore in the Graveyard, or that Black Rose Dragon was a great choice for knocking out stronger monsters. Then maybe I would have left preparations for Overmind's inevitable defeat."

A warp hole appeared in the sky, and suddenly four monsters Nathan already played in the duel dropped out onto the field. A short man wearing a VR visor, a red-haired woman wielding psychic weaponry, a lanky man charging psychic energy into a staff, and a monster with mighty horns and claws big enough to knock over a tree all joined the Rose Token already present. "Maybe removing Overmind Archfiend from the field summons back all the monsters he banished."

"Purely by coincidence, right?" Ivy mocked. "I'm sure you didn't plan that at all."

He shrugged. "What can I say? Your strategy hasn't changed. Even if I weren't able to see a path spread out by your cards, I would already know what you were going to play."

"It was pretty much downhill after you spoiled my Cactus-Garden Lockdown," Ivy admitted.

"Yes, it was. And now my field is swarmed with psychic monsters that can easily take the rest of your Life Points."

Ivy nodded slowly, as if admitting defeat. "You're right. Your field is swarmed. It's a great time for Just Desserts." A black wall appeared on the field between Nathan and Ivy, but it was moving. As the top shifted, presenting a face turning toward Nathan's field, he realized it wasn't a wall. A giant of a man turned and hurled rocks at Nathan in fear that the opposing monsters might try to steal his food.

"When did you put that card in your deck?"

"Does this card feel like the spirit of your friend inhabits this card? Its gluttonous nature deals you 500 points of damage for each monster on your field." She smirked as she dropped to the grass and assumed a relaxing, seated position. "Maybe for once, someone truly was one step ahead of you."

Ivy 400: Nathan 4900 – 2400 – 500*5 = 0.

When Nathan's Life Points dropped, the energy didn't spill from him the way Duel Academy had become acquainted. Being the embodiment of sloth, he hadn't accrued as much power as a duelist with his talents could have. A single burst emerged from him like a shockwave, brushing the grass along the ground and providing a quick breeze that blew past Ivy's skirt and aided in pushing her to the ground.

Nathan dropped to his knees, scraping them on the hard ground. "That… was impressive," he uttered.

"Thanks," Ivy replied heavily. Hitting the ground knocked the wind out of her. "Maybe next… I'll figure out… what the Ghost… Duelist is… planning." Her words fell on deaf ears as Nathan face-planted into the grass, unconscious. Ivy wasn't far behind.

Spectators couldn't figure out what happened to everyone. To the third party, fainting after a duel seemed excessive, but it warranted a call to the campus emergency line.

Vic couldn't believe the events he just witnessed. Somehow, this simple card game—not even an athletic competition—forced four people to exert such will power that all of them collapsed under the pressure. What the hell was going on?

"Hey, you!" came Hayley's cheerful, almost musical voice. She jabbed Vic in the back to get his attention and pecked him on the cheek when he turned to look at her. Then she pulled back when she saw his fallen expression. "Are you okay? You look like you've seen a ghost." She noticed the four people on the ground and asked, "What happened here?"

"I'm not really sure," he told her. "But I know how to stop it."

"Yeah?"

He put his hand on her waist and helped lead her away from the scene. "I'll need your help."

* * *

Luring Abel to a secluded area of the island was not a favorable task. With the power he was giving out to other students, he must have a wild store for himself. It was a lot like bringing a grizzly bear to your clubhouse, or like talking to the most beautiful woman you've ever seen in your life when you don't really have the guts for it. It was a task requiring nerves of steel, an iron will, and a silver tongue to avoid suspicion.

Or in lieu of those qualities, one could have, instead, great ignorance and difficulty understanding a given situation. In other words, a perfect job for Ty and Clyde to undertake. Somehow, with the limited information Vic gave them about why he needed to get Abel to the beach at the edge of the campus grounds, they managed to get him following them at sunset unwittingly (for all three of them) into Vic's trap.

"Here we go," Ty said. He pointed to the beach, then traced his finger in the direction of the volcano until he found the cliffs that wound around the west side of the island. Where the cliffs met the beach, he saw a small alcove. "I think this is the spot."

"Why here?" Abel asked. "You planning to entomb me alive?"

"That wouldn't work," Clyde insisted. "I heard you can walk through walls."

"Did you, now?"

"Yeah. Hilda said you walked into her room late at night and attacked her."

"It sounds like Hilda was trying to avoid explaining why a boy was in her room after curfew."

"That's dumb," Ty replied. "How do you explain the way he walked through the walls?"

"It's called a _door_, dumbass," Vic said as he stepped out of the alcove. Groaning loudly and rubbing his head, he said, "Get out of here, guys."

Ty asked, "Why?"

"Because I'm the boss and I said so."

Both guys seemed reluctant to go, but Clyde pointed out, "He must have some gang business to discuss with Abel. Maybe he's actually going to let him come back."

"That would be sweet," Ty agreed. With a goofy wave, they both walked back toward campus.

Abel smirked. "I wondered when you'd show. Why come all the way out here?"

"I wanted to get you alone, out here where you can't hurt anyone else."

"How noble. Is that why you ran off your only real friends, too?"

"I saw what happened when your underlings used their power on the quad. Ty and Clyde don't need to be in harm's way like that."

"How unlike you. So what do you propose?"

Vic grunted. "Obviously we're going to duel." His voice was tinged with frustration. "For some stupid reason, this card game seems to break brainwashing spells put on people."

"A duel through our cards is no different from competing in the coliseums of old. Combatants continue to place their hearts in their performance, to exert their wills through their movements. The physical effort may be less, but the spiritual energy required for a duel is just as taxing. Anything less than your full soul will result in a loss."

He sure didn't talk like he used to. The sheer confidence behind Abel's words and the way he carried himself betrayed immense confidence. Carter and Nathan never looked even close by comparison. Vic stood no chance against him, yet he felt there was no choice.

"Don't forget about me," said Hayley, stepping out of the alcove.

Abel smirked again. "You would allow your girlfriend to remain in the way of the same harm that wouldn't let your friends endure?"

"That's different," Vic told him. "As stupid as it sounds, if a duel is really a spiritual game like you say, then she's better off than I am."

"Are you sure about that? A young lady with a split psyche will undoubtedly struggle against the power of the Seal."

Offended, Hayley pointed out, "I beat Romulus last year. He was one of your buddies, too."

"Wrath was on the same level as the two duelists you witnessed on the quad today. I am on a whole greater level. I will accept a challenge against both of you, but if you wish to participate, then be prepared for the greatest suffering of your lives." He snapped his Duel Disk open and activated it.

Vic didn't like the sound of that, but he kept reminding himself, _Forget what you saw on the quad. It's just a card game._

"I'm already familiar with great suffering," he laughed, trying to reassert himself as a tough guy. "I have dated, you know." Hayley scoffed, but while hiding a grin. Both activated their Duel Disks and created a wide triangle with Abel.

"To keep this quick and to put it all out there," Vic announced, "we're borrowing the Deck Master system. This isn't a tournament-sanctioned duel, but we can still use the system to change the pace of our contest."

"I accept the challenge," Abel said, "and I wish to summon Aztekipede, the Worm Warrior as my Deck Master." An enormous centipede whipped onto the field, rearing up to become as tall as Abel.

"I'll use Fabled Miztoji," Hayley said. A short man shrouded in a winged, black cloak stood beside her, carrying a small scepter he used for balance.

Vic forced a smile, hoping his grand strategy would work out. "And I'll summon Elemental Mistress Doriado." His card appeared as an attractive, blonde priestess wearing blue robes and a red headdress. "Let's get started."

Spoke Abel, "Very well. I'll summon Inzektor Dragonfly (3/1000/1800)." A man wearing a black bodysuit spotted with red greaves, breastplate, and helmet fluttered onto the field via pink wings. He knelt to the ground and aimed a plasma rifle at the opposing fields. A second man, wearing a similar bodysuit with yellow armor and carrying a pointed battering ram, flew down as well, merging his ram with the Dragonfly's (+6/+1500/+2300) gun. "I can equip him with Inzektor Hornet from my hand. I'll end with one facedown card."

"One small monster?" Hayley asked as she drew. "Let's overpower him. I'll start by setting one card, then I'll summon Fabled Raven (2/1300/1000)," a man wearing a black mask and with bladed feathers growing from his arms. "His effect lets me discard Dandylion and two Fabled Ganashia. First, Raven (+5/+2500/1000) gets stronger, then two Fluff Tokens (1/0/0) appear on the field, and both Ganashia (3/+1800/1000) revive." Alongside Raven appeared two seed fluffs and two humanoid elephants wearing Indian garb. "First, Raven will tune with one Ganashia to summon Fabled Valkyrus (8/2900/1700)." The completed summoning produced a man wearing a full suit of bulky, Japanese armor, including an oni mask meant to frighten his foes and weaken their resolve.

"By discarding one fiend from my hand, Valkyrus gives me a new card." Hayley dropped a card into her Graveyard, but another card immediately popped back out. "Whenever Fabled Krus (2/1000/800) is discarded, I can revive a low-level Fabled monster, like Fabled Raven (2/1300/1000)." The man with the bladed wings appeared on the field once more. "Now I will set one more card and use my Deck Master's ability: Once per turn, I can turn any Fabled monster into a Tuner. That means Ganashia (3) can tune with the two Fluff Tokens (1) to summon Fabled Ragin (5/2300/1800)," a man with thin, demonic wings that barely shielded his gold-and-black armor, marked by red glyphs. "When he's summoned, I get to draw until my hand contains two cards."

Hayley smiled and finally dropped her hand, pleased with the fortification of her field. Looking to Vic, she said, "Sorry that took so long."

"As long as you're happy," he replied. He already told her he wanted the duel over as quickly as possible, and they set up their decks to do just that. The last thing they needed was Abel showing any hidden Shadow Realm power.

"I'll summon Element Valkyrie (4/1500/1200)," a woman wearing a red leotard under an iron breastplate and a lengthy, blue skirt. She carried a flaming staff in her right hand. "To make her stronger, I'll activate the effect of my Deck Master." Doriado held her hands forward, and a red light flowed into Vic's monster. "She changes the attribute of my monsters once per turn. Now that Valkyrie (+2000) is a fire monster, she gains 500 attack points."

The obvious next choice was to attack Abel's monster, but even though he continued to use insects, these Inzektors brought a new experience for Vic. Abel's previous deck was simply an insect deck designed for swarm and beatdown. What effects did these two bug men have?

"Valkyrie will attack your Dragonfly guy."

"No," Abel countered. "I'll play Sakuretsu Armor to destroy your attacking monster." A body of spiked armor emerged from the ground and covered Inzektor Dragonfly; the armor pierced Element Valkyrie during her attack and destroyed her. Aztekipede crawled rapidly across the field and made Vic flinch as it lunged for his deck, grabbing a card in its massive mandibles and ripping it away. "Every time one of your monsters is destroyed, you discard a card from the top of your deck."

"At least your Trap is gone," Vic said to rationalize the loss of his monster. "I'll put a card facedown and end my turn."

"Then we will continue the destruction of your monsters," Abel announced. "When I send Hornet to the Graveyard, he will take Fabled Valkyrus with him." The yellow man stepped away from the red man and dove across the field, targeting the mighty creature in front of Hayley.

"My monster won't go down without a fight," Hayley replied. "I'll play Ring of Destruction!" A ring of connected stones latched onto Valkyrus's neck. One stone suddenly spouted fire, followed closely by a second spout from another stone. "I destroy the monster you just targeted, and then we both take damage equal to his attack power." When fire spouted from all eight stones, the ring exploded, and energy from Valkyrus struck all players while leaving Hornet with no target as he sailed by harmlessly into the Graveyard.

The fire from the explosion engulfed all three players, subtracting more than a third of everyone's Life Points. Finally, when the fire subsided, Abel acted as though the effect on him was minimal. He still had plenty of moves to make.

"Sending Hornet away activated Dragonfly's effect; I can summon Inzektor Centipede (3/1600/1200)." This man was huskier than the others, wearing a black bodysuit covered by brown armor studded with spikes. The man with yellow armor reappeared on the field, this time lending his spiked battering ram to Centipede (+6/+2100/+1700). "When summoned, he equips an Inzektor from my hand or Graveyard. Once more, I'll send Hornet to the Graveyard, this time to destroy Fabled Ragin." For the second time, the man in yellow dove across the field, aiming his battering ram at Hayley's monster.

"Any protection this time?" Vic asked hopefully.

"I didn't plan for it to happen twice."

Hornet's effort succeeded this time; he pierced Fabled Ragin with his stinger, and a moment after he disappeared into the Graveyard, Ragin's body withered and disappeared as well. Aztekipede lunged across the field and consumed a card from the top of Hayley's deck.

"This activates Centipede's effect and lets me take an Inzektor from my deck to my hand. Using his special effect, I'll equip Inzektor Giga-Mantis to Dragonfly (+2400)." A man adorned entirely in green armor appeared on the field, armed with tonfa made from enormous sword blades. He handed the blades to Dragonfly and then stepped back. "Being equipped, Giga-Mantis increases Dragonfly's power to 2400.

"And now, I summon Unknown Synchron (1/0/0)." The first non-insect he summoned was a small, floating sphere with metal antennae and a single, red eye. "I'll tune my Synchron (1) to Centipede (3) to summon Dark Diviner (4/2000/1000)." The advent of this monster wasn't imposing, but slow and mysterious. A heavy mist filled the field, and it slowly took a form similar to a man. The blue mist remained as his robes, with a red cowl over his head, and a three-headed, ashen staff appeared in his hand.

"Bring it," Vic challenged, gritting his teeth.

Abel did exactly that. "Dragonfly (2400) will attack Raven (1300)." Using the blades borrowed from Giga-Mantis, the man with red armor eviscerated the man with the bladed wings. Aztekipede lunged across the field and ripped another card from her deck. "Dark Diviner can attack directly."

"Hang on," Hayley countered. "I've got Call of the Haunted!"

"No!" Vic shouted. He knew about Dark Diviner from his synchro coursework. It was a monster immune to battle damage, and it could grow to match the power of any stronger monsters, veritably making it the ultimate attacking monster.

But Hayley surprised him: "I'm summoning Reborn Tengu (4/1700/600)," a human-avian hybrid wearing thick, samurai garb and dual wielding a wakizashi and a katana.

"A weaker monster?" Abel confirmed curiously. "I'll still attack." Dark Diviner thrust the staff forward, and the blue mist traveled across the field, consuming Reborn Tengu without any visibility. Aztekipede took another card from Hayley deck. "When Dark Diviner destroys your monster, you lose an additional three cards from your deck."

As Hayley tossed three cards into the Graveyard, she commented, "I'm starting to notice a shortage of cards here."

"Famine is my specialty," he replied gladly. "I'll set one more card and end my turn."

Vic 8000 – 2900 = 5100: Hayley 8000 – 2900 – 1100 – 300 = 3700: Abel 8000 – 2900 = 5100.

"Here goes," Hayley said hopefully. "I'll summon Fabled Lurrie (1/200/400)," a small fiend with a red mask, demonic wings, and razor teeth. "Using Miztoji's effect, Lurrie becomes a tuner and merges with Reborn Tengu (4) to summon Stygian Sergents (5/2200/1800)." The resulting monster was a two-headed, yellow-skinned dragon riding a powerful, double-wheeled motorcycle. Vic knew it was a powerhouse and a staple in Hayley's deck, but it couldn't beat Dark Diviner. They needed something else.

"To give my monster more points, I'll activate The Gates of Dark World." A wall appeared on the field, blocking Hayley from the other duelists. But this wall was shaped like a tome, and it opened to provide a passageway for Hayley to rejoin the field. "All fiend monsters gain 300 points. That makes Stygian Sergents (+2500) strong enough to destroy your Dragonfly (2400)."

"I'll activate Fiendish Chain." A heavy chain suddenly appeared on the field, snaring Stygian Sergents, motorcycle, and all. "Your monster's effect is negated, and it can't attack."

"I beg to differ," Hayley replied. "I've got Mystical Space Typhoon." A heavy storm whipped up overhead, and a single bolt of lightning struck the chain, snapping it and freeing the revving motorcycle. "Sergents' attack goes through." The motorcycle collided with Dragonfly and crushed him like a bug.

Abel pulled a card from his Graveyard. "When Giga-Mantis is sent to the Graveyard like that, I can summon Centipede (1200) from the Graveyard in defense mode."

"Good, because now Sergents (+3300) gains another 800 points and gets to attack again." Turning the motorcycle, Hayley's monster barreled through Dark Diviner's (+2300) mist on its way through the Gate and back to Hayley's side of the field. "Your turn, honey. A win now would be great."

Vic 5200: Hayley 3800: Abel 5100 – 100 – 1000 = 4000.

"Don't I know it?" Vic replied as he drew his card. This was going to be tough, but thanks to the horrendous effect of Abel's Deck Master, it seemed possible. "I'll play Preparation of Rites. This card lets me bring a Ritual monster from my deck to my hand, plus I can return a Ritual Spell from the Graveyard."

All of a sudden, Vic felt a chill. He looked up and caught sight of a shadow growing from Abel. It looked like his good friend was possessed by a demon.

"Is something wrong?" Abel asked ominously.

Concerned, Hayley asked, "Vic?"

He forced a smile; he didn't want Hayley to know he was afraid of the power Abel was beginning to show.

But wait. Why now? Why would Abel wait through the first several plays to begin displaying his power now? What was different? All that came to mind was the growing evenness of the field. Thanks to Hayley's efforts, Abel's life was almost half gone, and remembering that Abel had no facedown cards restored some of Vic's confidence.

"I'm good," he said, finally sounding like himself. "I'll play Doriado's Blessing and discard Element Saurus to summon Elemental Mistress Doriado (3/1200/1400)." A twin sister of his Deck Master, the woman Vic summoned was an attractive, blonde priestess brimming with elemental power. "I'll also play Fuh-Rin-Ka-Zan." Doriado placed her hands together and closed her eyes, chanting silently. When she opened her eyes and revealed her palms, four colored lights rose into the sky. Suddenly Abel's side of the field was bombarded with elemental energy, eliminating both of his monsters—even the blue mist of his immortal Dark Diviner. "Fuh-Rin-Ka-Zan activates only if my field has monsters with fire, water, wind, and earth elements, and Doriado has all of them. It destroys all monsters on your field."

"I understand that," Abel said. Translation: Duh.

"Right. I'll summon Element Dragon (4/+2000/1200), which gains 500 points because Doriado is a fire monster." His new monster was a typical, pink-scaled dragon with a long neck and a red mane. "In order to finish this, I'll give Doriado the Ritual Weapon." The unarmed priestess suddenly equipped a crossbow on her forearm—one with a golden frame and a bolt made of pure light energy. "This weapon gives Doriado (+2700) an extra 1500 points.

"And you're defenseless." Vic smirked at the field as he quickly counted the points to himself. Element Dragon blasted Abel with a ball of fire. "I'll bet you weren't expecting this result, were you?"

Hayley shared his excitement as Doriado took aim. "We actually took down the Ghost Duelist."

Abel hummed softly. "I am not the Ghost Duelist," he confessed. "I am merely his servant, and the purpose I served him was to lose this duel and break the seal." Doriado's bolt passed through him, reducing his Life Points to zero. "Your true enemy is still out there, and now there are only four seals remaining before the Rapture."

As he hit the ground, he uttered, "Now is the time to atone."

Vic 5100: Hayley 3700: Abel 4000 – 2000 – 2700 = 0.

* * *

**_Response to reviewers:_**

_Thanks go to tiramisu19 for continuing to point out that I don't how this game works half the time. I tried really hard to get everything right for this chapter, which is one reason writing them takes me so dang long. He also pointed out that I didn't explain every step of the duel well enough last time. I hope this chapter works better in that sense, too._

_Additionally, he brought up the difficulty with tying in Yu-Gi-Oh! characters without having my story take place in their immediate world. The primary distinction with the YGO universe is greater prevalence of cards. I try to keep them rare to avoid boredom, but I also believe that after Kaiba obtained Industrial Illusions and became the monopolizing entrepreneur of all things Duel Monsters, he would know the value of replicating some rare cards for greater distribution. (One complaint I hear and wish to counter immediately: Yugi was not the only Dark Magician user. Fact. There is no reason to believe there are only three Dark Magicians in the universe.) The only card I can see Kaiba never selling is the Blue-Eyes, and though my story may have suggested production of more, I have never shown any of them not owned by the Kaiba family._

_I plan not to have any more cameos (and never really planned those to begin with). If anyone still has any cognitive dissonance about combining the two worlds, feel free to ask questions._

_**Weekly trivia:**_

_This chapter was originally two separate chapters, but the way I began the story focusing on Vic led me to bring up his duel against Abel two chapters early in order to maintain the flow. In terms of timeline, it is Thursday evening, meaning the following morning is when Bryan will duel against Salman Nazari._

_**Credits:**_  
_Vic Rock...Iron-Arm-V_  
_Hayley Wilson...TeamRocketDiva_  
_Alister Kazama...ZaneKazama001_  
_Carter Jade...Jaden2010_  
_Lili Von...Happy2BMe_  
_Nathan Zislaw...mavrikzero_  
_Ivy Roaks...Mental Panda_  
_Romulus Malligan...Maximus1_


	37. A God By Any Other Name

Chapter 37: A God By Any Other Name

One might find a plethora of reasons for their opinion to shower in the morning or to shower at night. None of them medically validated, mind you, but a variety nonetheless. Some believe showering in the morning helps jar them awake and prepares them for the day. Some believe showering at night helps relax the body and prepares them for sleep. A lot of people get sweaty and acquire a powerful stench throughout the day and so shower at night to avoid taking those allergens and pathogens to bed with them, yet others with the same daily behaviors shower in the morning because the stench doesn't bother anyone at night.

Cary's choice was purely based on cosmetics: Her hair was easier to do after a shower, and she never did her hair for bed.

After awakening, checking her email, and reading a few headline stories, Cary put her robe on and walked from her room to the bathroom she shared with Kasumi and Lucy. It was never easier to find time for a shower than when one of her suitemates left campus for two weeks. Much as she wanted to see Lucy again, she wasn't interested in sharing the bathroom with a third person.

Except maybe this morning. The bathroom smelled slightly unusual, but not so much she really noticed. She turned on the water to let it warm before she stepped in. She immediately recognized the oddity: The water coming from the showerhead looked soupy. She stuck one finger in the stream and brought it near her nose to get a whiff and recognized the scent of bouillon. After shutting off the water and unscrewing the showerhead, she found bouillon cubes. Clearly someone thought it was funny to try to cover her and Kasumi in a frothy stench all day.

Matt wasn't that stupid. He knew that Cary could find a way to kill him without leaving any trace evidence behind. Someone else tried this potentially lethal stunt. And his sentence became worse with every passing minute Cary had to spend cleaning out the showerhead.

By the time she got back to her room, showered and ready to go, she had a message waiting from Tai Ishihara, the freshman enrolled after first spending a few years in the Navy as a fighter pilot. He was helping her search for clues to the Ghost Duelist's plans. They hadn't found much related to the Ghost Duelist—Officer Michael Potter, according to Matt—but they did find minor information related to the superstitious history of Duel Academy and the rumors of students disappearing years ago.

The best physical link they found was a reference to the God Cards. According to one of the documents found buried under the previously-called Abandoned Dorm, the God Cards were actually physical temples for fallen angels.

Currently, the only thing they knew for certain about the God Cards was that Bryan had one. He claimed not to have any more, but the hiding place was empty. Either that meant Bryan was lying, Matt was pulling a fast one, or someone else found the hiding place. Bryan had no reason to lie, and Cary was reasonably certain Matt wasn't lying to her this time. Tai wanted to talk to Matt and give his own assessment of the guy's sincerity and to find out the hiding place so he could try his own investigation.

"_cant find him. gonna check the woods"_

Apparently Matt disappeared again, so Tai was going to go search the hiding place, which he knew was somewhere in the woods near the Guardian House. Cary knew vaguely where the cards were buried and so where Tai was going. But Matt's disappearance bothered her a bit. Odds were good he was just wandering around being moody. (That was kind of his thing lately.) But there was a chance he was suffering from more ghost-hunting side effects.

Sure she worried a little bit about Matt's safety, but she had faith in him not to get himself killed. As prone as he might be to getting into trouble, he was just as likely to emerge from the ordeal relatively unscathed. Maybe there was something she could find online to help figure out what connected the God Cards to the Ghost Duelist. There was no way the God Card disappearance and a resurgence of the Shadow Realm via the Ghost Duelist was coincidence.

Beginning her online research with a site dedicated to Duel Academy superstitions, Cary found a story in which someone claimed new god cards appeared during the current GX Tournament. She remembered hearing that cards named after prominent figures from Norse mythology were played repeatedly by a particularly successful member of the Titus Industries team. But that guy lost and there were only two Titus employees left. Rumor was the Kaiba Corp. team was going to start dueling each other soon enough just to name a single tournament champion.

Someone in the forum provided a link to examples of god cards created as a result of talking to god. The linked page was a poorly-constructed video presentation—very cartoony—of some ritual in which five rectangular people fired a blue laser straight into the sky through an open door straight into the upstairs room, which was filled with pink music staves. The description said the ritual reached directly into an alternate system possessing a singular collective conscious and separated a small piece of the collective, sealing it into playing cards. The author also claimed a list of people involved in the ritual, including Pegasus himself—he even provided a group photo of the fivesome wearing luxurious clothing in front of a truly spectacular fountain, overall probably worth the GDP of Indonesia.

Somehow, the fountain looked familiar. But surely Cary would remember seeing such an ostentatious fountain had she ever laid eyes on it. A web search of the picture brought her to a photographer's portfolio, and the words: "At the Denkard Hotel and Casino in Gathas." The Denkard made sense: It was the only place she knew of where even the receptionists dressed in expensive jewelry. She browsed her CPU for the Pictures folder and brought up the digital photos she received from Bryan and Matt when they spent a weekend at the Denkard almost two years ago. Several pictures meant nothing—such as Bryan putting a quarter in a slot machine or Matt showing off his brand new Duel Disk—but one picture showed Bryan dangling Matt over the edge of the mezzanine, and in the background (the building's ground floor) was a large, decorative fountain identical to the one in the picture of Pegasus.

How odd that a group of card makers alleged to have reached into another world were hanging out at the same casino where Bryan and Matt participated in a dueling competition.

Statistically speaking, thousands of groups may have gathered at that location over the years, but something about the picture still bothered Cary. In addition to Pegasus, there were two attractive women wearing elegant dresses with low bust lines and high slits plus two men who wore tuxedos. One man was a dead ringer for Dr. Apple, a former professor who abandoned his post after last year's classes. In the picture he had more hair, but it was definitely him. And the woman in the red dress, who had Dr. Apple's hands around her midsection, looked strikingly familiar. Following her hunch, she searched through more of Bryan's pictures of the tournament.

Sure enough, one picture was a clear shot of a gorgeous woman, adorned in a perfectly form-fitting dress, taken in profile with a wink at the camera. It was the woman Bryan accused Matt of having a crush on—the one who organized the tournament and owned the Denkard Hotel and Casino: Leona Moxley.

"She knows Pegasus?" Cary wondered aloud.

Now Cary felt like she had a reason to contact Matt. Maybe he kept in touch with Leona Moxley. More likely that was just some fantasy Matt _wished_ were true, but at least he had an in if they decided to call her to fish for information.

As she closed the picture of Leona and the web browser with the picture of Pegasus and caught sight of the "dangling Matt" in the corner of her eye, she noticed something else intriguing. In the corner of the picture, on the ground floor of the casino, Leona Moxley spoke with a man in a white tuxedo jacket. Zooming in just 120%, she recognized the man as Sebastian Arbus, the man who just recently assumed the role of Associate Professor to fill the gap left by Oscar Apple's disappearance.

Suddenly she found a new series of questions. How were Dr. Apple, Leona Moxley, and Sebastian Arbus connected to Pegasus and the God Cards? Scientific inquiry provided her the thought: _Are_ they connected? It certainly would not be the first conspiracy manufactured by misconceptions on the Internet, but these were some interesting coincidences.

Thinking about how quickly Pr. Arbus derailed earlier questions about his connection to rebuilding the so-called Abandoned Dorm, Cary whispered to the screen, "What do you _really_ know?"

She printed the picture and picked up her phone, hitting the speed dial for Matt. Several rings produced no answer but led to the stupid outgoing message on Matt's voicemail: "You found Matt. If you're part of the problem, hang up now! If you think you're part of the solution, I'll be the judge of that."

"What good is having a phone if you don't answer it?" she asked no one as she hung up. This time, she searched Maikeru's number from her Contacts list. As Matt's roommate, he might know where the wayward duelist was.

"Maikeru?"

"Who is this?" The voice on the other end didn't really sound like Maikeru. She didn't put his number in incorrectly: She'd called him before. Did someone else have his phone?

"Um, I was just looking for Maikeru, the guy whose phone you currently have."

"Oh, yeah. The douchebag you called is actually here, but he's screening his calls right now. You can leave a message and hope you're important enough to call back, but I wouldn't get my hopes up." With that, the voice on the other end disconnected.

Shocked, Cary narrowed her eyes at her phone. "Why would Thomas have Maikeru's phone?"

* * *

Getting inside the Yellow Dorm was easier than it should have been for a resident of another dormitory. One exiting resident simply held the door for Cary, possibly hoping she'd remember the chivalry if they crossed paths again. And the door to Matt's room was unlocked. Assuming caution as she turned the knob, Cary stood out in the hall as she pushed the door open.

"Thomas?" she said, surprised to see the enormous beard with a skinny guy growing out of it, seated leisurely in Matt's chair with his feet on Matt's desk. The file holder was on its side, the Dominos cup no longer held any pens, and the lamp lay on the floor with a broken bulb.

Beyond the desk, the room was a shambles. Clothes piled up in front of both closets, Matt's bed had one broken leg, the refrigerator door was off center, two wall posters were torn, and papers littered the floor. Matt was a bit meticulous when it came to putting his belongings in their respective places. Clearly he hadn't been here in a while.

"Where's Matt?" Thomas Estrada demanded.

"I don't know. Where's Maikeru?"

With a slight nod of his head, he answered, "He's sleeping."

Maikeru lay on his bed facedown. There was a small crack in the wall just over his head. With this new information, Cary got a closer look at Thomas. He had beads of sweat forming around his hairline.

"Is he okay?"

"I don't care about him. Where's Matt?"

"Well, _I_ care about him. We'll talk when I know he's okay." Thomas popped out of the chair, allowing it to fall over backward and slam into the floor, but it didn't startle Cary enough to stop her from rolling Maikeru over and checking his breathing. It seemed unobstructed considering his nose had a slight stream of blood. It looked more like the result of a cut instead of a broken blood vessel. There was a bruise on his head that wasn't going to be pretty for the next few days.

"Why did you hit him?"

Thomas scoffed. "He's useless. He wouldn't tell me where to find Matt."

"Why do you want him so badly? Is it because he and Kasumi broke up?"

"No." He paused momentarily, seeming confused. "Wait. They broke up?" He clenched a fist in excitement, but he said, "It doesn't matter. Matt is the key to enacting the Ghost's plan, so I'm here to take it first."

With no discernible emotion in her voice, Cary asked, "What?"

"It doesn't matter if you understand. The End of Days is coming. The Ghost is trying to control the Rapture. I want to be the one pulling the strings instead. But to do that, I need to find Matt and mark him myself."

Cary stared silently for a moment, not certain how to interpret that. "Are you going to pee on him?"

"No! I'm going to _duel_ him!"

There it was. A game of Duel Monsters was the ultimate battle of wills. In her third year, this still felt like a world Cary would never understand. But her lack of understanding did not constitute a lack of capability. And she fit into the world well, carrying her Duel Disk on her arm everywhere she went.

"How about you duel me instead?"

She might have expected resistance, but Thomas smirked instead. "Why not? That'll wile away a half hour while I wait for Matt. And you are one mark no one has been able to obtain."

"Better be careful how you go about marking me," she replied. "I kick, and I bite. So if you're up for it, let's just duel instead."

He lifted his Duel Disk and activated it, launching his hologram projectors straight into the heater on one side and the door frame on the other. Dorm rooms were not suited to the space normally required for a duel.

"I will set a monster and two facedown cards," Thomas said. "That's all I'll need."

"I'll bet."

Cary started by enabling the hologram projectors to turn the room into a valley between high-reaching, sheer cliffs on all sides, with a fading sunset in the backdrop. "Dragon Ravine's effect lets me discard Dragunity Phalanx to move Light and Darkness Dragon from my deck to the Graveyard. I'll summon Dragunity Aklys (2/1000/800)," a red dragon whose wings grew from its head, capped by a spear head. "When I Normal Summon this card, I can Special Summon Dragunity Arma Mystletainn (6/2100/1500) and equip it with Dragunity Aklys. Additionally, summoning Mystletainn this way equips him with Phalanx from the Graveyard." A tall, yellow-scaled, bipedal dragon with one set of scaled wings and one set of feathered wings appeared on the field, arming itself with the spear head of the red dragon on one arm and the twin-bladed bracer of a blue dragon on the other arm. "Equipped as it is, Phalanx (2/500/1100) summons itself to the field." The yellow dragon released its grip on the blue dragon, allowing it to position its muscular body in attack position.

"Do your turns ever end?" Thomas asked.

"The holograms make it take, like, eight times as long as it would on tabletop. Anyway, I'll force your card and attack." Mystletainn flew across the field and thrust its spear head weapon into Thomas's facedown Iron Blacksmith Kotetsu (2/500/500), an old man whose muscles were as tempered as the steel he forged.

"You flipped Kotetsu, so I can move Big Bang Shot from my deck to my hand."

"No wonder you let me attack. What if Phalanx attacks?" The smaller, blue dragon zipped across the field with greater speed and plowed its horns into Thomas directly. "I'll play Trade-In, letting me discard Leyvaten (8) to draw two new cards. And now I will set one card and then end my turn."

"And when you do that," Thomas interjected, "I'll activate Scapegoat." Four multi-colored Sheep Tokens (1/0/0) appeared on his field in defense mode.

"Why not save yourself the direct attack?" Cary wondered.

"I have my reasons."

Cary 8000: Thomas 8000 – 500 = 7500.

Thomas grinned at the field. "You are aware of my deck theme, right?"

"You're one of the few people who haven't changed a thing since freshman year, so yes, I have a pretty good idea what to expect."

"Then you recognize Armed Samurai – Ben Kei (4/500/800)." This samurai was a hooded man armed with more than a dozen weapons along his body. "For every card equipped on him, he gains an extra attack during this turn. I plan to end the duel immediately."

"How's that?"

"To start, I'll equip Ben Kei (+4500) with United We Stand to give him an extra 800 attack points for every monster on my field. In addition, I'll give him Big Bang Shot to increase his points by another 400 and give him the ability to inflict Piercing damage."

Cary shrugged. "Which doesn't really affect my two attack-position monsters. You just want three attacks."

"That's true," Thomas agreed. "So let's start with the first attack." Ben Kei (+4900) charged across the field, somehow adeptly wielding three spears simultaneously.

"Before that," Cary decided, "I'll activate Urgent Tuning." Suddenly, Phalanx began to resonate loudly. It perched itself on top of Mystletainn until both monsters resonated in unison and combined into Red Archfiend Dragon (8/3000/2000), a mighty, red-and-black dragon. "The Synchro Summon sent Aklys to the Graveyard, and so the effect activates to destroy one card on the field."

Thomas groaned. "Great."

The red dragon flew lifelessly across the field and skewered United We Stand, shattering one of Ben Kei's spears.

"Hey, wait. What gives? I thought you would target Ben Kei (-900)!"

With a nod, Cary said, "I know you did. But I'll bet your set card is one designed to protect your samurai without protecting your Spells, and United We Stand is far and away the most dangerous of them."

Thomas was not pleased with her level of intuition. Suffering a brief stun from losing his spear, Ben Kei missed with both assaults. The tall dragon reached out to the disoriented samurai with its powerful clawed hand, crushing him instantly.

"Next time, perhaps," Thomas grumbled. "I'll set one card and end my turn."

Cary 8000: Thomas 7500 – 1000 = 6500.

"Using the effect of Dragon Ravine," Cary explained, "I'll place another copy of Dragunity Corseca in my hand. By playing Dragon Mastery, I can equip Corseca in my hand to Red Dragon Archfiend (+3500) on the field." A pink-scaled dragun with a long, thin, sword-like snout attached itself to the taller dragon's forearm. "Then I'll summon Dragunity Dux (4/+2600/1000)." This new monster wore white robes and had almost mechanical wings on his back, and Aklys rose again almost instantly from the Graveyard, using its body to weaponize Dux's arm. "Dux can equip any Dragunity monster from the Graveyard. Now you'll lose your flock." Her mighty dragon reared up and reached out again, this time with a clawed hand accented by a spear head. It grabbed all four sheep simultaneously and crushed them together in a single, shocking clench. "Sorry, but when the Archfiend Dragon destroys a defense position monster, all other monsters you have in defense mode get destroyed with it. That leaves you wide open for attack from Dux." Whipping his cat-o-nine-tails, he struck Thomas repeatedly with only a single strike.

Cary 8000: Thomas 6500 – 2600 = 3900.

"I've been holding this card because I didn't think I'd need it," Thomas said as he laid Pot of Greed and drew two more cards. With a slight scowl, he uttered, "It seems the cards still aren't in my favor. I'll set one monster and another card."

"Then I'll be able to end the duel now. Using Dragon Mastery, I'll equip Dragunity Phalanx to Red Dragon Archfiend (+4000)." Her powerful dragon now bore a blue-and-gold, twin-bladed bracer on its arm. "Dragunity Dux (2600) will lead the assault."

As her monster pulled back his weapon, Thomas activated his facedown card. A powerful gravitational field expanded across the field and pinned both her monsters. The gravity was suddenly too intense for an attack to be possible. "Gravity Bind will protect me for the time being."

"Crap," Cary uttered. "Fine. You go."

"You used all your cards on the first half of the duel, and now you've stalled," he pointed out. "This is my perfect chance to resurge. I'll summon Sunlight Unicorn (4/1800/1000)," a white horse with blue flames in place of its tail and mane and a single horn upon its forehead. "With this effect, I look at the top card on my deck—" he picked it up— "and it is Mist Body. That means I get to put it in my hand. That's all for this turn."

Cary rolled her eyes as she drew another monster she couldn't play yet. "I think the duel really gets its pace from the slow turns, don't you?"

"It's what determines how well a duelist actually plays. I'll demonstrate, first by flipping Magical Merchant (1/200/700)," a small arachnid carrying a large rucksack on its back. Thomas began taking cards from the top of his deck until he drew a Spell or Trap; he discarded only two monsters before taking Mage Power into his hand. "I'll also use Sunlight Unicorn's effect again." He looked at the top card on his deck, but because it was a monster, he put it back at the bottom of the deck. "I'll end this turn by summoning Exiled Force (4/1000/1000)," a group of five men armed with only basic armaments.

"That's all you've got?" She drew her card, which was another Dragunity monster. "By removing Dux from play, I can summon Dragunity Arma Leyvaten (8/2600/1200) from my hand." Her winged beast disappeared and gave way to a large, orange-scaled biped with prominent feathered wings and lesser scaled wings, armed with a sword that had a hooked blade. As her dragon reared, a shadow grew behind it. Suddenly the dragon grew two additional tails and wings—one each white and black—as Light and Darkness Dragon from her Graveyard equipped itself to the Dragunity Arma.

"What is that monstrosity?" Thomas asked.

"Leyvaten equips any dragon from my Graveyard when summoned."

Thomas shrugged. "Does it do anything?"

"You mean does it give Leyvaten any special abilities? No, it does not. It just looks badass."

Pulling a card from his deck, he said dryly, "Alright." Thomas grinned like a kid at Christmas. "Are you ready for the big play?"

"I guess it's your turn to do _something_," Cary commented. "You _are_ allegedly going to take control of the Rapture, right?"

"Exactly. So watch in awe as I destroy you. First, I'll play my facedown Blast with Chain." The Magical Merchant (+700) suddenly held a long chain, attached at the end to three sticks of dynamite that looked ready to explode at any moment by Red Dragon Archfiend's feet. "I'll play Heavy Storm." A powerful whirlwind kicked up all across the field, whipping all Equip Cards and Gravity Bind around while the monsters stood safely in the eye of the storm.

"You know what happens when you destroy Aklys while it's equipped," Cary said. "Your unicorn gets destroyed." The red dragon flew through the air like an errant spear, ultimately piercing through the majestic unicorn.

"The same thing happens with Blast with Chain is destroyed." The dynamite in front of Red Dragon Archfiend exploded, completely removing the mighty dragon in a single cloud of smoke.

"Annoying," Cary admitted. "But a waste of effort. When Light and Darkness Dragon is sent to my Graveyard, all cards on my field are destroyed. Then again, it does revive the copy of Leyvaten already in my Graveyard." Her orange dragon with the white and black wings and tails reappeared on the field.

"Well, keep watching. I'll play Monster Reborn to revive Ben Kei (500) from the Graveyard." But the reappearance of his hooded samurai was not the surprise tactic. "By sending Magical Merchant and Exiled Force to the Graveyard, I summon Gilford the Legend (8/2600/2000)." A heavy wind picked up, dropping a blinding veil of dust around the field. As the dust thinned, a shadow appeared, drawing into view a bulky man, cape billowing with the sands, decked in armor horned at the shoulders and mask. He held before him a single broadsword as large as himself, and carried yet two more swords on his back.

"Gilford the Legend," Cary said with assumed awe. "A warrior for whom armaments are at his beck and call. Few have matched his technique."

"And you never will. Upon summoning, he bestows Ben Kei (+2500) with United We Stand and Big Bang Shot." Armed with two new spears, Ben Kei seemed just as fearsome as earlier. "In addition, I'll give him Mist Body and Mage Power: Now Ben Kei (+4500) gains another 2000 points, and he's immune to destruction in battle."

"Yeah, that was a real possibility," Cary jeered.

"Ben Kei gets five attacks this turn, and you have no Traps," Thomas pointed out. "This duel is over." The hooded samurai leaped across the field and thrust his spear into Cary's dragon, sending it straight to the Graveyard. "And he's ready to attack again."

"Not yet," Cary said. "When Light and Darkness Dragon is sent to the Graveyard, all my cards are destroyed, and then Leyvaten (2000) is revived, this time in defense mode. And again, Leyvaten is equipped with Light and Darkness Dragon from the Graveyard."

Thomas's expression fell. "I see a pattern here."

"So do I," she replied. "What got you so greedy?" He didn't have an instant reply. In fact, he looked surprised. "You used to be a pretty great guy, from what Kas told me. You're smart, you got skills, you're actually fairly handsome. Do you remember how you met Kasumi?"

For just a moment, Thomas had a dreamy look on his face. "We were in prep school together. She was the prettiest girl around. All the guys wanted her, but I knew I was going to make her mine. She had the best hair, the tightest legs, and the biggest boobs."

"And how did you get her?" Cary asked, intentionally ignoring the shallow initial reasons for pursuing her best friend. "She wouldn't go for a guy who spends all his time focusing on himself. To woo her, you had to give of yourself, too. Selflessness goes a long way in a relationship."

"But she left me for that bastard friend of yours," he growled. He snapped a look at Matt's alarm clock on the floor. "Where is he, anyway?"

Cary didn't care right then. "You lost her because you stopped being sweet to her. You let Bryan threaten you and turn you possessive. She doesn't like being treated like property. She wants nothing more than to be an equal, to have what you have and to share everything."

Thomas's stern expression softened tremendously. It seemed as if he may actually be experiencing some internal battle with himself—his ambition versus his longing for Kasumi.

"She and Matt weren't right for each other. But if you aren't willing to let her come first once in a while, you won't have a chance with her, either."

"It's too late." Thomas shook his head and repeated, "It's too late for me to stop now. The Ghost Duelist is bringing the Rapture unless I do it first. I would have saved Kasumi already if she hadn't wasted her energy against that annoying bug with the Cyberdark cards."

That was when Cary realized the reason she couldn't tell what kind of power Thomas claimed to have is that he was keeping it all for himself. He was too greedy to waste it on a duel like the pawns of the Shadow Realm did. "There's always a chance for redemption," Cary reassured him.

Cary 8000 – 1900 = 6100: Thomas 3900.

"Do you really believe you can save me? Abolish my sin and protect me from the Rapture I wish to bring?"

"I know two things for certain: You are not the embodiment of evil, and our generation is not cool enough to be alive for the Rapture." She winked. "If you focus all of your greed into this duel—put everything on the line—then I will prove your greed can be beaten. What do you think?"

He sneered. "I think you're crazy. But I'm willing to see what you want to show me."

"Good. Here's a timely card," Cary said. "Advance Draw lets me send Leyvaten to the Graveyard to draw two more cards. Of course, that won't matter because the Leyvaten-Light and Darkness loop activates again to summon my monster back to the field."

"That monster still can't win alone. If you really want to prove something to me, this is your chance."

"Deal."

Cary drew her first card simply enough, but her second card brought a wave of warmth that disoriented her momentarily as a golden light flashed her vision and blinded her. She forced herself to blink a few times when her eyesight returned. "That was weird," she uttered.

But not as weird as the card in her hand. It was called Chrysopoeia, and the image showed a bar of refined metal—lead on one end and gold on the other. She recognized the card—it had helped her beat one of Dr. Apple's minions in a duel—but she hadn't seen it since then. What was the card, and where did it come from?

"Did your deck not understand the need to prove a point?" Thomas mocked.

"No, I'm good," Cary spoke hesitantly. She tried to hold tightly to the magic card while she played the rest of her hand. "I'll activate Dark Hole." A small, white mass appeared in the center of the field, generating a gravitational field powerful enough to draw all matter in a swirl as far away as the monster zones. When Leyvaten, Ben Kei, and Gilford hit the center, the mass imploded, disappearing into thin air. "But again, Leyvaten returns with the Light and Darkness Dragon. And now the field is set for an attack." Her multi-colored dragon swung his heavy blade directly into Thomas, delivering a devastating blow.

"Almost," Thomas said. "But almost only counts in horseshoes." He pointed to the Chrysopoeia card Cary clutched so tightly. "Are you planning to play that card to prove your point?"

"No," she replied after glancing at the card again. Its effect would let her transform a monster on her field into another monster. Essentially, she could have used it to turn Leyvaten into Ben Kei, thus granting her dragon an extra attack because of its equipped card, but she worried that the card might disappear again as soon as she played it. That's what happened last time. "I'm using this one instead." She played a card from her other hand. "It's called Mystical Space Typhoon." A powerful storm whipped up in the sky, and a single bolt of lightning struck Light and Darkness Dragon, sending it to the Graveyard. "When Light and Darkness Dragon is destroyed, it clears my field and revives a monster from my Graveyard."

"It can't revive Leyvaten. It was on the field at the time of the effect."

"Yes, but I have a second Leyvaten (2600) in the Graveyard." For the last time in this duel, her orange dragon sprouted two additional tails and wings. "Because this is a new monster, it gets a whole new attack." When this dragon dropped his heavy blade, Thomas felt the effects.

Cary 6100: Thomas 3900 – 2600 – 2600 = 0.

The air around Thomas turned black, like a veil of perfect shadow emerging from within his skin. It didn't spread like a mist the way Cary always heard the Shadows moved. After slowly spilling from Thomas's skin, the power erupted in a powerful explosion that rocked the room. Cary was shoved back into the bed and stumbled on top of Maikeru; papers and books swirled around the room; window panes rocked and one dislodged; and the hallway door blasted open and slammed into the wall, sharing the deafening howl with the other residents of the dorm. Cary braced herself on the bed for what felt like twenty minutes until all that darkness Thomas held for himself dispersed and faded.

Cary was awakened by a silver-haired boy who wandered into the room when he saw the broken door. Sean Bivins stood over her, offering her a hand up. He was fairly strong as he helped her. "Are you okay?"

"Mostly confused," she answered.

"What happened to Maikeru?"

"Thomas beat him up."

"What happened to Thomas?"

She looked at the overwhelmed young man who allowed his desire to take everything the world could offer wear him down and nearly break his spirit. He was bleeding from his cheek, possibly from hitting Matt's desk as he passed out. "He beat the darkness."

* * *

An hour later, Cary lay on her favorite couch in the airport lounge—a room in the registration building nicknamed for the general, sterile colors of the furniture and the multitude of flags presented along the walls, representing the nations from which students attended Duel Academy. She tried not to doze off as she lay there with her laptop, hoping to learn something about Chrysopoeia. Even though she didn't play it, her magic card had disappeared again by the time Sean awoke her.

"Are you okay?"

She looked up to see Tai Ishihara approaching her. He looked like he still had as much vigor as the day he got to Duel Academy. Apparently he wasn't being pushed hard enough. "You have an update?"

"Good to see you, too. I heard you had a tough morning."

"And it's over now, though I may ask you to kill Cain Valin for me."

"Why?"

"Soupy shower. What'd you find out?"

He accepted the brush-off and agreed to move on. "Well, I heard rumblings of a possible investigation into the shipping department of Titus Industries."

"Interesting but unhelpful. They'll need physical evidence before any kind of real investigation can be launched. What else?"

"Sgt. Baker said he'll do a little digging into Potter's history to see if there is any reason to believe Matt's claim, but I get the feeling he doesn't believe it's even possible Potter is the Ghost Duelist. As reluctant as he is, I wouldn't count on much police support. They do tend to give the benefit of the doubt to their own."

"Then we'll check his home directly. Anything else?"

Tai picked up his phone and emailed a link straight to Cary. "I may have found a clue about the God Cards. It's probably best for you to see it yourself."

Curious, Cary opened the link and watched the news webpage open up. The headline stated, "Legendary Card Played in National Tournament." She clicked on the embedded video and watched a low-quality video of a man holding a Duel Disk. When he placed a card on his Duel Disk, a large, black creature hit the field harder than any hologram—hard enough to knock over a podium on the edge of the stage. The creature was humanoid in shape and possessed godly muscular tone, but most catching was the Egyptian headdress on its head.

"At 2115 last night our time, someone out there," Tai summarized, "summoned Obelisk the Tormentor."

* * *

_I'm finding it harder and harder to write duels these days. There are only three chapters remaining in this part of the story. By chance, is there anyone out there who would like to team up for the next part? I feel I can make more compelling characters if I can stop worrying so much about the cards and getting all the plays right (which I often do not. I hope I got it right this time). Something to think about._

_Next chapter: The GX Tournament draws to a close, and Matt finds the elusive Ghost Duelist just in time to suffer a duel of another sort. Will Kaiba Corp. fall to Titus Industries? Will Matt give in to the sins of his past? Will I manage to write an entire duel without any technical mistakes? Find out next time._

_**Weekly Trivia:** It is so much easier to write these one-character chapters, but I have way too many characters for everyone to get the spotlight.  
_

**_Credits:_**  
_Cain Valin...FE96jAFFAR_  
_Tai Ishihara...ZAFT Prime_  
_Maikeru Stone...onyxshade7_  
_Sean Bivins...DarkVestroia2_


	38. The Ghost and the Darkness

Chapter 38: The Ghost and the Darkness

It was a difficult situation to be in. Rory had a Cyber Dragon in her Deck Master position and nothing in her hand except Cyber Dragon Zwei and Overload Fusion. Her opponent, by contrast, used Naturia Butterfly as a Deck Master, meaning every attack she tried was foiled by the simple act of discarding two cards. As such, the only real damage she dealt was incidental whenever the opposing Naturia monsters committed suicide in order to activate effects that continued to devastate the duel. Over time, Rory now faced down Naturia Exterio (10/2800/2400), a fusion of two separate Synchro monsters that effectively prevented Rory from using Spells and Traps. On top of that, she dealt with Splendid Rose (6/2200/2000) for her ability to attack continuously, and Naturia Leodrake (9/3000/1800) for no reason other than he had a lot of attack power.

And Rory felt the pressure mounting even before the duel began. It was the last day of the GX Tournament, which just made it all the more stressful for her not to fail now. On top of that, she was up against a man only two years older and without the academic duel training she had. He didn't even _start_ dueling until five years ago.

Ignacio Velez-Menendez—who introduced himself as Iñaki—was a native Costa Rican and an avid nature goer. As a kid, he spent his time admiring the flora and fauna of his home environment: The oropendolas swept from tree to tree in flocks, their tails streaming behind them like sunbeams; morpho butterflies dotted walls of greenery electric-blue like spots of sky. He grew up working with his father on a coffee plantation, giving him the ability to identify the proper soil environment by the existing flora. The plantation was purchased by Titus Industries by exchanging a healthy sum of money for the soil treatments Iñaki's father used to build the most perfect richness Joseph Titus ever tasted.

Iñaki 's father recently fell ill, diagnosed with cancer and physically unable to work. To keep the owner of the soil treatment working hard, Titus met with Iñaki over Starbucks and Duel Monsters. When Iñaki asked why give money to Starbucks, Titus informed him that the only way to succeed in a business is to know the competition, even if they made mud compared with Titus's brilliant beans. And that mantra is what made dueling the young Velez intriguing. Without any prior experience in the game, Iñaki left Titus with only 1000 Life Points before the game ended.

"That was your first time?" Titus verified.

"It was. That was fun."

Titus couldn't help thinking he had a foothold for future plans. "I'll make you a deal. Study this game. Work the local tournaments, duel all the experts I can find for you. If you help me turn Titus Industries into a Duel Monsters powerhouse, I will provide your father with the best health care money can buy."

By the time the GX Tournament began, Iñaki was confident, but he worried about dealing with students who did nothing but duel and study dueling all day. Maybe some of his success was luck, but maybe sometimes a true adept comes along who's capable of proving that hard work does not always produce desired results. Even he recognized the name of Matthew Luther—Limitations Tournament winner, former Number One student, nicknamed "Godslayer"—but he played like a guy more worried about what was going to happen on this week's episode of _Psych_ than with the duel cards right in front of him. After defeating Luther, Iñaki didn't feel so worried about his performance.

Rory, on the other hand, was struggling to figure out what she might do to stop the Naturia Butterfly. The pink insect had a proclivity for exchanging Iñaki's deck for attack negation. With her falling Life Points, she felt like it was a conservative estimate that this may be her last turn.

"Who taught you how to duel?" Rory asked, trying to buy time while she thought things through.

"Joseph Titus himself," Iñaki confessed. "The man may be young, but he's surprisingly _inteligente_. His strategic ability is unmatched by anyone I ever met, though I have been impressed with your efforts so far. I know the score is stacked in my favor, but you have destroyed a great number of my _monstruos_ despite being unable to attack."

"I guess I'm lucky he's not participating directly."

"As am I that Señor Kaiba duels no longer. It would be an amazing loss."

"You've got that right," Rory agreed. Rumor had it Seto Kaiba not only softened over the years but also suffered the occasional bout of dementia. Even so, it was pretty widely accepted as fact that anyone who accepted a duel against him would suffer a devastating loss. She wished Kaiba would look to her hand right then and give her some advice.

Being able to play Overload Fusion would make things interesting because she dumped a whole pile of machines in the Graveyard already, plus Cyber Dragon Zwei could initiate the fusion of a powerhouse Chimeratech Overdragon. But the instant she played Overload Fusion, Iñaki was going to negate the effect with Naturia Exterio's effect.

"Maybe that's the way to go," she realized. "I'll summon Cyber Dragon Zwei (4/1500/1000)." A metallic serpent with yellow markings hit the field and coiled like a snake. "By revealing Overload Fusion in my hand, Cyber Dragon Zwei becomes a legitimate Cyber Dragon." All that changed in her monster was its aura—from yellow to black—but the possibilities skyrocketed. "And now I'll activate Overload Fusion to summon Chimeratech Overdragon."

"_Tome chichi_, but you must have seen this coming." Naturia Exterio, a large tiger with bark-covered legs and a crown like an open dragon's skull, thrust its front paws into the ground. A card disappeared from his Graveyard while another fell from his deck to replace the banished card. As a result, the sparks started by Rory's Spell faded without producing an effect.

"I did," Rory admitted. "So here's what I'm trying instead. Cyber Dragon has a second Deck Master ability. Other than its Special Summon ability I used earlier, it has another ability that activates on the field."

"On the field?" Iñaki repeated.

"That's right. I am actually summoning my Deck Master to the field." Her Cyber Dragon slithered from the space beside her to the field beside her yellow Cyber Dragon. "When this particular monster is summoned from the Deck Master spot, it can banish any cards from my field or Graveyard from play to summon a Fusion monster that lists Cyber Dragon as a material monster. I choose Chimeratech Overdragon." Three Cyber Dragons (including Zwei), Cyber Valley, Cyber Twin Dragon, two Jade Knights, and three Cyberdark machines merged in an explosion of machines. The result was a serpentine body that had a body like a splitter, with ten holes for Cyber Dragon-like heads to emerge.

"This strategy should work much better," Rory confessed as her Overdragon (9/+8000/+8000) finished forming. "I lose all Deck Master effects this way, but since my Deck Master wasn't destroyed but was instead fused, this card acts as my Deck Master. Overdragon gets to attack once for each material monster used in the fusion. So here it goes."

Chimeratech Overdragon snapped out with one extendable neck toward Exterio (2200), but Naturia Butterfly began flapping its wings and spreading a defensive spore to prevent the attack from landing. The process repeated eight times. With one attacks remaining, Naturia Butterfly stopped flapping.

"_Salado_," Iñaki complimented her. "My deck has run out of cards, so I cannot activate Naturia Butterfly's effect again." The kicker was that his monsters weren't strong enough to resist the Overdragon. The tenth and final lunge destroyed Exterio, but it didn't remove all of his Life Points. "Still in it, huh? Yet the game is over, anyway."

Rory smiled. "I was hesitant to summon my Deck Master, but you didn't leave me much choice. Risk big, win big." To herself, she thought, _I can't believe it took me that long to think about emptying his deck by attacking continuously._

The duel was over as soon as Iñaki's turn began and he was unable to draw. With a friendly smile on his face, he shut down his Duel Disk and collected his cards. "_Pura vida. _You have skill," he said as he shook Rory's hand. "And luck. Both together make a champion. Congratulations."

"I appreciate your words. Do you happen to know how many more of your colleagues remain in this tournament?"

"I do. I was the last one. Sad for me, Kaiba wins this contest. Congratulations again."

Rory accepted the news readily, but it took her a moment truly to comprehend its meaning. If no more members of Titus Industries remained, then Kaiba Corp. won the tournament because of her. Admittedly, she didn't take out all of the duelists, but it did feel pretty good to be not only the last victorious duelist, but to make her final duel against the same man who knocked Matt out. Her friends present at the event swarmed her to congratulate her.

Despite feeling a bit overwhelmed with a feeling of accomplishment, Rory noticed her cell phone buzzing in her pocket. She checked it to find a text message sent from the Duel Academy administrative office. It read: _Congratulations for being a finalist. Bring your deck to the north end of the quad at 1300._

She hummed to herself. "I wonder what that's about."

* * *

_Yeah, he's definitely in there,_ Matt thought as he tip-toed to the door, crouched to ensure he couldn't be seen through the windows. _I can hear him on the phone._

Matt pressed his ear up against the crack of the door frame and listened. Part of him was alert enough to hope no one else in this apartment complex happened upon him, spying on a second-floor tenant as he was. But the majority of his thoughts were focused on overhearing what the so-called "Ghost Duelist" was planning.

"The pieces are perfectly in place." Officer Michael Potter's voice was difficult to hear through the door, but it was plain as day as far as Matt was concerned. He wasn't using his bold, strong voice that helped subdue rowdy teenagers. He spoke with that soft, ghastly voice he used to hide his identity. "The piece of my soul I embedded within Death is resonating. Within the hour, the seal will be broken.

"It will not fail. I sent Death to the one man whose spiritual power is guaranteed to break the seal. As soon as it does, the final ritual will commence and the fifth seal will be broken. At the height of the sun tomorrow, the sixth seal will break.

"Of course. During the final hour, the seventh seal will open, and the End of Days will begin."

_Who's he talking to?_ Matt wondered. If he could only get hold of that phone. But what approach to take? _Of course it's tough to come up with a plan. I don't know what I'm dealing with._ He looked over his shoulder to make sure no one saw him spying, and then he slowly turned the knob and slid the door open.

The instant the door was open enough for Matt to see Potter's apartment, Potter jumped to his feet and ran to the back. Surprised, Matt shouted "Hey!" and gave chase through the room—oddly well-furnished for a guy plotting the end of the world. (The tapestries were a bit over-the-top, but the leather couch added just the right ambience.) Through the kitchenette and out the sliding glass door onto the wooden balcony, Matt followed Potter as he hurled himself over the veranda to the grass below, performing a smooth roll as he hit and took off running in the direction of Duel Academy.

"He's quick," Matt muttered to himself as he hurdled over the veranda and landed rather well on his feet, dropping one knee to absorb some of the impact. Shocked, he laughed, "Holy crap! I did it!" But his excitement passed and he was on Potter's tail again. Potter was not an officer out of an old sitcom: He was lean and agile, though he did show signs of age that Matt didn't suffer. The distance between the town of Kazuki and Duel Academy's campus wasn't far.

Fearing for the safety of the students, Matt poured all his motivation into his feet and pulled his legs with as much fervor as he could possibly muster. He hadn't felt his muscles burn like that in a long time. But the pain paid off. Despite Potter's impressive stamina, Matt caught him just as they crossed the property line onto Duel Academy soil. He grabbed Potter and tried to shove him into the ground, but Potter stopped abruptly, ducked, and pushed Matt into a roll along the grass instead.

Matt wheezed for just a moment as he caught his breath. Rolling to his feet, he offered Potter a respectful scowl. "You're a pretty good runner," he said between panting. "Especially with a Duel Disk on your arm."

"I could say the same of you," Potter wheezed, nodding toward Matt's Duel Disk.

"I started including this bad boy on my morning jogs around campus as soon as I realized people here were ready to duel at the drop of a hat. I don't even feel it anymore." He opted not to flex his arm and show off right then so he wouldn't be proven a liar. He could lift his arm if he needed to, but he was much too tired then to hold it up and flex.

Potter offered another nod and an affirmative grunt, but then he took off again, this time headed along the property line into the woods that spread from the southern side of the island all the way around the eastern end. Matt moaned loudly to express his annoyance, but he didn't let himself fall far behind.

This time, chasing Potter was difficult because there were obstacles everywhere. The officer had the noted advantage of knowing where he was going whereas Matt had to react quickly to every individual tree that tried to hop in between him and his target. He lost track of how far they'd run after no more than a minute of weaving. It felt like Potter was leading him in circles on purpose. Was he just trying to lose the tail, or did he have a specific destination in mind?

Matt got his answer pretty quickly. Not a minute later, he found himself in a small clearing with Potter standing firm on the opposite end, just waiting for an opponent. Had he given up so soon? Maybe he was too out of shape to keep running much longer. Or maybe this was exactly where he wanted to be.

"I expected you sooner when you shined that flashlight in my face," Potter taunted.

With a conceding nod, Matt replied, "Yeah, well, finding your address wasn't terribly easy. The police don't believe you're the Ghost Duelist, and I couldn't exactly find any Yellow Pages. Do they even still print them anymore?"

"They do, but people mostly use them in unfamiliar territories to research business locations and hotels."

"Makes sense." Matt took a deep breath and felt ready to go again. "Why are we here?"

"You followed me," Potter pointed out. "I simply came to the location of my next move. This is the location of the fifth seal of the Apocalypse. Once this is broken, my plan will all be downhill."

"What seals?" Matt asked. "You mentioned them before. What does that mean? What do these seals do? I assume they don't balance beach balls on their noses."

With a sneer, Potter answered, "They are mystical safeguards placed to prevent God from returning to our world."

"Who would want to prevent God's return? Isn't that supposed to mean the salvation of mankind or something?"

"Yes! That's exactly what God's return would mean for this world," Potter replied with the first semblance of positive emotion beginning to show in his face. The excitement dwindled a bit as he admitted, "The interpretive line between salvation and destruction is fine, however. The herald of eternal life for one man can bring eternal suffering to another. It all comes down to sin."

Matt laughed nervously, confused and uncertain of a more appropriate response. "That sounds like an excellent reason not to let you break the rest of the seals, then."

"You have no choice in the matter. Thanks to the resources of the Hellfire Club, I made contact with God's messenger Aiwass. He showed me the future, and then gave me the power to ensure it comes to pass. By tapping into the power Aiwass offered me, I could not only uncover the Seven Seals, but I could place them strategically to facilitate breaking them."

"The Hellfire Club," Matt repeated curiously. "Cary mentioned that, too. What are they?"

"The Hellfire Club is a secret society comprising students, future businessmen, and fanatics who obsess over the existence of powers greater than what can be seen and heard. Many of the organization chapters begin in universities because of youthful open-mindedness. Most students use the secret society as an excuse for parties and death-defying acts, but the society extends far higher than in universities. Though their identities are closely guarded, rumors abound that the Hellfire Club dominates professional dueling."

"Like a card mafia?" Matt chuckled to himself.

"If that helps you, moron."

That was the cue that Matt goofed around enough. Drawing on the knowledge he gained from Cary, he asked, "Are you Lorn Kruse?"

The color instantly drained from Potter's face—so much that he looked like he'd seen a ghost. "Where did you hear that name?"

"He was a student at Glasgow with the two people teaching Lucy's abroad course. Supposedly, those two also seek the Rapture. I figure that can't be a coincidence. And the fact that all of you decided to enact your plans _now_ couldn't be a coincidence, either. What's going on?"

"More than you realize," Potter grumbled. "They were contacted by a false god."

"A false god? You mean there are more entities sealed away from our world?"

"Of course. The universe is not merely limited to the physics of this plane. A parallel universe existing alongside this one gives rise to several beings with delusions of divinity. My reaction to the competition is how the true God determines my suitability for the task. Only a man pure of sin can break the seventh seal."

"And you're free from sin?" Matt asked, not really believing Potter's claim. "How'd you manage that?"

"I created personifications of sin from those among your classmates who so tightly cling to their own sins."

Matt clenched a fist as he resisted the temptation of wrath welling within him. "You're the one who broke Kasumi's spirit and turned her into that envious monster."

"Her spirit was broken when I got to her, a product of your fine work, as I understand it." That comment stung, but it didn't stop Matt from placing blame for all of Kasumi's stress on the monster masquerading as mankind's savior. "That's enough waiting. The time is nigh for the fifth seal to break."

"I don't think so," Matt countered. He snapped his Duel Disk into position.

"I suspected that was the route you wished to take. But I lack the time, and your participation will only interfere."

All Matt saw was a single thrust of Potter's hand and a pulse of black energy slap him in the face.

* * *

Dr. Arbus was unique among the professors of Duel Academy when it came to interior design. He had a small, framed picture of two little boys on his desk, but where the other professors had dozens of familial pictures, he had artistic paintings; where other professors kept the office lit and open, he worked in the dark; where the others had shelves full of books, his were bare. Sure, he hadn't been a professor for two months yet, but he didn't even have a plant in his office. It looked about as barren as anyplace Cary had ever seen that was actually inhabited by humans.

"Ms. Strickland," he noticed from the instant she laid her knuckles on the door. He had a British accent, which further settled Cary when he spoke. She enjoyed the accents offered by Duel Academy's diversity. "Do come in. Just a warning: I have a class in twenty minutes so I need to be out of here in five."

"It will be pretty quick, I think. I just have some questions."

"Oh? What about? You aren't taking any of my classes. Are you perhaps curious about my involvement with rebuilding the Medici Building?" He noticed Cary's awestruck expression and explained to her, "I've seen you with Mr. Ishihara. You have an investigative look about you, and the last time he was here, that was the topic we discussed."

Still a bit surprised, she handed him a copy of the picture she printed. It showed Dr. Arbus walking with Leona Moxley, the exotic owner of the Denkard Hotel and Casino in Gathas. She wore a silky, blue dress and had her arm draped around the sleeve of his white tux. "I just wondered how you know Leona Moxley?"

Dr. Arbus looked at the picture fondly for a moment. He clearly recognized the moment, and seeing Leona's image elicited some sort of positive emotion. He couldn't hold back that charming little smile he had. "Where'd you get this?"

"Matt and Bryan went to a tournament in Gathas freshman year. This is the corner of a picture of Bryan dangling Matt over the fountain from the mezzanine."

"Oh, yes. I believe I caught sight of that event. A lot of spirit in those two."

"Some might call it 'childishness.' They had pretty much the same reaction when thinking about Leona that you did."

"She's an enchanting woman," Dr. Arbus admitted. "Our relationship was not romantic, however disappointed I might be to admit that."

"This looks pretty intimate," Cary said, pointing out the part where Leona's arm was draped around his.

"_That_ is a strategy many attractive women use when they wish to manipulate the actions of wealthy men." Offering Cary a friendly smile, he clarified, "I am the chairman of a grant foundation. She is the owner of a casino. She flattered me and used her allure in order to separate me from a large portion of my money."

"That's all this is?"

"That's all." He motioned his arm toward the door, indicating his need to leave for class as he slipped his bag over his shoulder.

Cary exited the office, but she had a follow-up while Arbus locked the door. "You have no deeper connection to a woman whose ex-boyfriend just recently abandoned the job post you now fill?"

"Oscar? He and Leona did more than simple courting. They were married."

* * *

"I and the leadership of both organizations extend our thanks to all participants for making this competition truly amazing," Dr. West announced to the cameras. Putting a small grin behind his bushy mustache, he continued, "But countless votes among the tournament's organizers agree that once the teamwork is complete, we all wish to announce a single champion, and so we turn to the final remaining duelists: Aurora Ruiter, a sophomore here at Duel Academy, and Justin Nussbaum, currently a data center technician at Kaiba Corp.'s Seattle headquarters and a two-year graduate of Duel Academy himself."

Deep breaths were key as she took her position on the quad and engaged her Duel Disk. Rory couldn't believe she was being asked to duel against a recent graduate in front of the entire school plus Titus's dueling employees. It was a lot of pressure to put on a big-city girl accustomed to being overshadowed by drunken celebrities and misspelled street signs.

"You look nervous," Justin told her as he shook her hand. He wasn't an intimidating guy in appearance—thin body, glasses, very thin beard growth. But he took out the guy with the god cards that knocked Synthia out in the first round. His smile made him look like kinda cute, though. "I'm guessing this is your first time."

"I've been nervous lots of times," she corrected him.

He realized what he said versus what he meant to say and got a laugh out of it. "That's very good. If I had to guess, I'd say you've spent a fair amount of time with Bryan and Matt."

"You know them?"

"Of course I do. Bryan and I were Guardian Duelers together for a while."

"He told me about that group," Rory noted. "That means you used to have a God Card, right?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"Good. Then this duel should be a nice challenge."

He chuckled. "Maybe this isn't your first public championship after all. You seem pretty confident."

"Being nervous doesn't mean I lack confidence. It just means I acknowledge you as a talented duelist who might possibly be capable of defeating me."

Now Justin's grin turned into a smirk. "Now that's some educated trash talk. Do you wish to take the first turn?"

"So polite of you to ask. No, I do not. But I don't mind playing my Deck Master first. I've chosen Cyber Phoenix," a mechanical bird with rigid wings shimmering red with would-be flames.

"A cyber card," Justin noted. "I know someone here who uses cards like that. Let's just say I understand why you would want to go second."

"Do you?" Rory replied dryly.

"Indeed. I've grown rather fond of Snoww, Unlight of Dark World as my Deck Master." His was a woman with purple skin that shone in the sunlight. She wore a white cape and carried a staff by her side. "For my turn, I'll set two cards and a monster."

"Good start," Rory complimented. "A defensive monster and two cards to deter an attack. I'll start by playing Foolish Burial to send Hunter Dragon from my deck to the Graveyard. I'll summon Cyberdark Horn (4/800/800)." This was a metallic monster with a body like a spinal column, wings like blades, and four horns on its framed jaws. A Hunter Dragon—a sleek dragon with razor-sharp scales—emerged from Rory's Graveyard, and Cyberdark Horn (+2500) attached to the dragon's body to draw its strength. "I'll attack."

"Your monster deals Piercing damage when it attacks," Justin noted, not as a question but as a statement of knowledge. "You pretty handily destroy Scarr, Scout of Dark World (2/500/500), but believe it or not, I expected to take this much damage. I thought you might summon a Cyber Dragon and achieve a direct attack."

Rory's chuckled. "You clearly know Matt pretty well. I have never met another Cyber Dragon user who got a Cyber Dragon in his opening hand as often as he did."

"Did? Does he not use them anymore?" She shook her head. "That's too bad. Anyway, destroying Scarr lets me move a Dark World monster to my hand."

"No Trap?" To herself, Rory muttered, "That scares me more than if you blocked my attack." Aloud, she said, "I'll end my turn."

Rory 8000: Justin 8000 – 2000 = 6000.

"I'll start by setting another card, and then using Card Destruction." All the cards in each players' hands fell to the Graveyard as each player replaced them with the same number of cards.

"Discarding cards," Rory noticed. "I expect you will spend much of this duel doing just that."

"Indeed I will, because doing so often lets me summon new monsters like Beiige, Vanguard of Dark World (4/1600/1300)," a blue-skinned, muscular demon wearing bone armor. "And discarding Kahkki, Guerilla of Dark World, I can destroy a monster on your side of the field. But you have other plans, don't you?"

"You know Cyber Phoenix's Deck Master ability?"

"I work in programming and I study a lot. I know every Deck Master ability used in this tournament. By discarding a card, you negate a targeting effect and get to keep your monster."

"That's exactly what I'm doing," Rory confirmed. Her Deck Master hopped behind Cyberdark Horn and created a cocoon with its metal wings, blocking the suicidal bombing by Kahkki.

Justin nodded. "Good. Then I'll play The Gates of Dark World." A wall appeared on the field, blocking Justin from Rory, but this wall was shaped like a tome, and it opened to provide a passageway to rejoin the field. "With this field, all fiends gain 300 attack and defense points. Additionally, I can banish Scarr from my Graveyard to discard Grapha from my hand and draw one card." A black dragon with horns out of every node on its body burst from the ground as if fighting for survival against quicksand. "When Grapha is discarded, he destroys a card on the field."

"And Cyber Phoenix will protect Cyberdark Horn again," Rory said as she discarded.

"Looks like I'm not the only one discarding a lot," Justin commented. Rory just shrugged. "By returning Beiige to my hand, I can revive from the Graveyard Grapha, Dragon Lord of Dark World (8/+3000/+2100) from the Graveyard." Erupting from the Graveyard was a black dragon covered with so many shiny horns that a hug would kill even an armored monster. "And for my Normal Summon, I'll bring Beiige (+1900) back to the field." He smiled. "No more targeting effects now. Just attacking." Grapha reared, let out a tremendous roar, and tore the Hunter Dragon from the Cyberdark Horn.

"My monster isn't destroyed by this battle. Only the Equip Card is destroyed."

"Yeah, but I get another attack." Beiige thrust his spear into the mechanical monster and shorted its circuits. "That ends my turn."

Rory 8000 – 500 – 1100 = 6400: Justin 6000.

"Well," Rory said, "I'll play this turn with Future Fusion." A green-and-white swirl of energy appeared on the field, drawing five dragons straight from Rory's deck. "In two turns, I'll summon Five-Headed Dragon to the field. But you expected that, didn't you?"

"I did a little. It's a popular card."

"And a threatening one, even in the Graveyard. I'll play Trade-In and discard Felgrand Dragon to draw two new cards." A holographic exchange appeared on the field, showing two faceless men exchanging a statue of a golden dragon for two unseen cards. She huffed when she picked up those cards. "Lucky me: Pot of Greed means I can draw two more." A green pot appeared with a goofy grin that showed off its decaying teeth. The pot tipped over to provide two more cards to Rory. "Now I'll play Cyberdark Impact!"

"There it is," Justin said. "In all honesty, I expected Overload Fusion. I've seen Matt dominate a few duels with it, plus I understand Chimeratech Overdragon helped you finish the tournament this morning."

"It would be helpful," Rory admitted. "Are you planning to stop me?"

"Right. Sorry. I'm playing Dark Deal. I pay 1000 Life Points, and then your card changes its effect. Instead of letting you summon Cyberdark Dragon, it forces me to discard a random card from my hand." He placed his cards on his Duel Disk and watched the system light one card in the middle. "I'm discarding Goldd, Wu-Lord of Dark World (5/2300/1400)," a tall, muscular demon equipped with gold armor and a gold partisan in hand. "When he's discarded, he gets summoned to the field. When _you_ discard him, he's summoned with a grudge." Goldd swung his mighty polearm at the distorted space in front of Rory and caused it to dissipate. "He would destroy two cards on your field, but Future Fusion is all you have. I guess you won't be summoning Five-Headed Dragon after all."

"I've been in worse situations. I've dueled Matt multiple times."

"How often did you win?"

"Maybe a dozen times over two years. But that was before he started using his Darklord deck. I haven't dueled him lately."

"That's too bad. Think of it this way: I'm giving you good practice for him. And I almost forgot to tell you this part: When you discard a card from my hand, Snoww's effect activates. I get to move a Dark World monster to my hand and you lose a card from yours." The fiendish woman slammed her staff on the ground, sending sparks that struck Justin's deck and Rory's hand.

"Geez." Rory sighed as she watched a card disappear from her hand. "Having only one card left sure limits my options. I'll set this and end my turn."

Rory 6400: Justin 6000 – 1000 = 5000.

"My options aren't as limited as yours. I'll use The Gates of Dark World again to banish Kahkki and discard Gren, Tactician of Dark World." A demon wearing a green cape moved to dismantle the facedown card in front of Rory.

"You can't destroy it if I use it," Rory pointed out. A powerful, hearty bellow echoed across the field. "Threatening Roar prevents you from declaring an attack this turn."

Justin had a confused look on his face. "What made that roar?"

Rory winked. "You'll find out."

* * *

Head throbbing, ears ringing, his eyes felt heavy, but slowly Matt awoke. He felt achy, his arms were numb, and his legs felt heavy. The discomfort felt unnatural. His brain naturally deduced that he passed out, but why did his feet feel so heavy? Even if he passed out on his feet, all the blood in his body shouldn't be dripping to his toes without taking a side trip to his fingers. After wriggling a bit—about all he could muster—he realized his hands were tied above him, his body dangling just enough to keep him on his toes. He tried to pull the rope over the tree branch, but it was caught on a knot, and he couldn't get past it with his arms feeling so numb. Why?

He was still in the woods. The Ghost Duelist was nowhere in sight. What happened to their duel? Did Matt lose already? Is that how he got tied up?

"Oh, my god! Are you okay, Matt?"

Every neuron in Matt's brain said he shouldn't hear that voice. Squeezing his eyes shut and opening them a few times to ensure adequate blood flow, he turned and saw Lucy Mercer. She was undoubtedly the most beautiful woman at Duel Academy, even with that look of shock and horror from seeing Matt in such a position. She hugged him briefly and touched his cheek before reaching up and helping him work the rope past the knot in the tree branch. She had to climb his shoulders a bit to pull the branch forward enough to even reach the rope.

"How can you be here?" he asked incredulously.

"I had a feeling you were in… trouble!" she edged out as she managed to work the rope past the knot. The branch dipped forward and deposited Matt on the ground. He was too weak stand at the moment. Lucy dropped to his side and held him tenderly. Her touch felt amazing. "I took an early flight back here. It seems like I got back just in time."

_Stop it,_ he told himself. _She's in love with your best friend._

But even so, it was hard not to feel _something_ for her. Lucy was the first person Matt tried to date at school here. She was fun, smart, a little self-conscious, but she was just about perfect. She was slightly bigger than most of the women at school, but she was well proportioned and her skin was flawless. And she was dating Bryan pretty seriously, as far as Matt knew.

"I guess I could use some help," Matt admitted. "I had Potter, but I passed out and lost him. He's the one who tied me up."

"We'll get him," she assured him with another gentle touch to on the cheek. "Kiss me."

_What? _Matt's expression conveyed his inability to give voice to his incredulity. What word could possibly describe how wildly inappropriate that question was?

"Just a quick one," she requested. Looking a bit shocked herself, she said, "I just want to be sure before Bryan and I get any closer." She leaned in closer. "You're…"

"Not interested," he lied, turning away. "Sure, I've wondered, but you're potentially a sister to me. I could never hurt _you_ like that."

Suddenly Potter appeared out of a cloud of dust, directly behind Lucy. He reached around her neck with both arms, and then both disappeared in a second dust cloud, almost like they disintegrated.

"Lucy!" Matt reached out to where she once stood, but she was gone. Potter got her! Matt clenched a fist and slammed it on the ground. No matter how much that move hurt, he couldn't believe Potter kidnapped Lucy right in front of him. That bastard…

"Matt? Are you here?"

Hopeful Potter didn't get far with Lucy, Matt turned to see Rory rushing toward him through the trees. She dropped down and wrapped her arms around him in the tightest hug she'd ever given him. "Thank god. I thought maybe the Ghost Duelist got to you."

"He's around here somewhere," Matt warned her. "He just grabbed Lucy and disappeared."

"He did?" She sounded terribly frightened. "I can't believe it. He's so powerful."

"Apparently more than we realized. He's like a real ghost."

Rory buried her head in Matt's arm. "I can't take this," she said, her voice muffled by his sleeve. She pulled her head back and looked into Matt's eyes. She still clung to his arm through his sleeve. "Let's leave now."

"What?"

"Let's just go somewhere far away, somewhere the Ghost Duelist will never find us."

"He's trying to destroy the world!" Matt pointed out. "We can't just run away from that."

"He's too powerful. We can't do anything against him, anyway. But we can run away together. It'll be just the two of us. We'll get so far away we won't have to deal with all these world threats, and even the Apocalypse can't take us. Please?" She was so pretty, and Matt really wanted to do nothing more than hold her and stop her shaking.

"No," he said. "I can't just run from this. Maybe I can do something."

Rory's expression sunk, then she screamed when Potter appeared behind her. In a single swipe, he grabbed her. Matt felt her fingers fade from his arm not as a loosening grip, but as a disappearing person. She wasn't just being pulled away; Potter was making everyone disappear.

"Why are you doing this?" Potter materialized in front of him. He wore that silver hair characteristic of the Ghost Duelist, and he carried a big smirk on his face. Matt growled at him, "Where are you taking them?"

"It doesn't matter, does it?" Cary sauntered up behind Potter and shot her own sneer. "Whatever he's doing, whatever he's planning, you'll stop him," she said to Matt. "You always do. You are Duel Academy's true guardian. Anything he can do, you can undo."

What was going on here? Where did Cary come from just now? Was she hiding back there the whole time? And what was she saying? Duel Academy's true guardian…

"You captured all the God Cards," she continued. "You won the School Duel as a freshman. You hold the title for an international tournament. There is an entire store of power deep inside you that you can draw on at any time to become stronger. Nothing in this world can stop you when you put your mind to it. This Ghost is a mere shadow against you."

Matt scoffed. "That… may or may not be true, but I never took any of those challenges lightly, even if I joked otherwise. I just… do what I can, you know?"

Instantly, Potter jumped on Cary and made her disappear in a third cloud of dust. Matt reached after them, but he exerted much less effort than before. He was noticing a pattern here, not limited to the fact that he couldn't stop Potter from disappearing with all his friends.

"What the hell is going on here?"

"Don't worry, bro. I got your back."

He didn't even need to turn to recognize Bryan's voice. His sworn brother stood behind him, standing tall with his arms folded to accentuate his biceps. "As soon as that bastard shows his face again, we'll show him what-for." He tilted his head down to give Matt a good view of his grin. "You go low and I'll go high, just like back on the field, yeah?"

Confusion with a level of realization pushed Matt to his feet. Logic was beginning to take root, and this whole place felt less real—even his pain. "How in the hell could you possibly be here?" he asked. "Santa Barbara is several hours away even by helicopter, and I just got a text from Mitsuro an hour ago about your challenge with Salman Rushdie or whatever his name is. There's no way you're really here, and so full of wrath. Seriously, what good would it do us to tackle Potter if he had the ability to disappear and reappear?"

Slipping away like he was made of dust, Bryan faded from view without being attacked. Matt was right. Everything he saw since awakening here was false.

"You can come out now," Matt shouted. "I know this is a game. Playing on the lust I once felt for Lucy, slothfully running away with Rory, Cary stroking my pride more than I've ever heard from her, and Bryan pushing me to vent my frustration physically. What's the problem? You didn't have a nice steak to tempt me with?"

"The problem is I could not find _enough_ steak to tempt you. Your gluttony already knows no bounds." Potter stepped up to Matt from behind, his real form this time. "Recognizing temptation is not enough to change yourself. Your life is filled with confusion and pensiveness."

"I get by," Matt growled. "I can't be too bad off if I beat your game."

Potter laughed. "You envy the drive I have in my life. A simple life with an obvious goal would relieve so much of your tension. Lost, you drift from place to place. You haven't stopped to enjoy college life. Too many life-threatening events give you a hero complex. You desire a more peaceful existence where the only chaos is that which you, yourself, introduce through childish pranks... everything the world won't give you, in other words. Don't you see it?" He leaned in and sneered. "You hate everything."

The words hurt Matt to hear. Was that how others saw him? As difficult as life had been—adoption, abuse, an uncreated spirit dwelling inside his body—he never truly felt so negatively about everyone else. Sure, other people seemed to have it easier, but life was just something each person had to deal with; they all had their own challenges maybe Matt wouldn't be able to handle as well. But maybe moping around demonstrated a whole new, erroneous façade to other people. It was time to stop moping and deal with his emotional distress head on, and maybe with a little help from his real friends.

"Get out of my head."

* * *

_First off, tremendous thanks to **tiramisu19** for helping me script Rory's duel with Justin. Writing it out is so much easier when the moves are already in place.  
Next time: Matt suffers from residual effects of the Ghost Duelist's mind game and can't react while the villain prepares to break the fifth seal. Is Potter really who he says he is? Rory and Justin continue their duel evenly-matched, but which will be crowned the tournament champion?  
_

_**Weekly trivia:** The life lesson Matt learns this week wasn't scripted. It's an example of the characters telling _me_ how the story is supposed to go.  
_

_**Credits:**  
Ignacio Velez-Menendez...tiramisu19  
Tai Ishihara...ZAFT Prime  
Mitsuro Itachu...Titanic X  
_


	39. The Ghost and the Darkness Part 2

Chapter 39: The Ghost and the Darkness, Part 2

From the steps of picturesque Wilson Hall at the head of the Duel Academy quad, Dr. West made his announcement in front of the camera and a crowd of hundreds of students and dozens of visiting duelists.

"As headmaster of Duel Academy, it is my honor to announce that with the final victory of Ms. Aurora Ruiter over Mr. Ignacio Velez-Menendez, Kaiba Corp. is victorious in a series of high-level duels against Titus Industries!" Participants began hooting and hollering before he even finished speaking, but the film crew managed to filter the sound to ensure Dr. West was still heard on camera. "I and the leadership of both organizations extend our thanks to all participants for making this competition truly amazing."

The word "MUTE" appeared in the corner of the television screen as Joseph Titus displayed his intense displeasure at the outcome of the tournament.

"It seems you have won," he said through bared teeth.

Seto Kaiba gave a smug response. "I never make a bet I can't win," he said. His assistant Charlie handed Titus a manila envelope with just a single, multi-page document inside. "I believe you owe me twenty-five percent of your company." Ludwig grudgingly complied, signing and initialing everywhere Charlie pointed out to him.

As he signed, Titus couldn't help noticing the similarity between this document and the one Kaiba held on his desk between his arms. "What is that in front of you?"

Kaiba smiled for the first time since the tournament started. "This is evidence that I just recently purchased twenty-six percent of Titus Industries," he explained. "With the portion you just handed over to me, I now own the controlling percentage of your company."

"That's not possible!" Titus growled as he snatched the papers from Kaiba and began thumbing through them. "My Board…"

"Your Board of Directors is trying to protect themselves from being implicated in a drug smuggling scandal that is about to rattle your company." Charlie handed Titus a second folder. "Investigators have found evidence that Titus Industries is using its reputation as a coffee mogul to smuggle drugs into the United States, Japan, and China. If my estimates are accurate, the search warrants came through yesterday."

"Drugs? What drugs?"

"Your poker face needs work," Kaiba commented. "Don't worry about your father's company. I don't plan to fire everyone—just those of general manager or higher." He gave a curt nod to Charlie, who then motioned and offered to lead Titus out. "You should have seen this coming, Titus. Challenging me to a duel was imprudent and the result of youthful arrogance." Seto Kaiba never agreed to the tournament because he liked the challenge—the challenge simply triggered his own youthful arrogance. He agreed because he saw an opportunity to eliminate another competitor from the gaming market.

Titus sneered as he allowed Charlie to show him the door. "Things will not end this way."

"Perhaps a deal can be struck somewhere," Kaiba suggested. Charlie stopped and Titus whipped around, waiting to hear the catch attached to this seemingly-generous proposition. "I hear one of your employees played a few one-of-a-kind cards during the tournament."

"I don't know what you're talking about." With that, he slipped out of the office and continued to the elevator.

Charlie knew nothing about the cards in question, but he knew what they must mean. Kaiba was willing to deal on drug trafficking charges and Titus was unwilling to accept if it meant even acknowledging the cards' existence. What were those cards?

* * *

Dr. Kevin Lankford was not known for expressing compassion with a student too lazy to do the relevant homework for his classes, but he listened to every word students spoke and remembered the majority of them. Ordinarily he spent little time at the police department, but his name and reputation did permit him entry on the odd occasion he wished to discuss a rumor with former-sergeant Phil Baker, currently a faculty advisor for the Red Dorm.

"What are you doing here?" Baker asked as Lankford entered the research room. The walls of the room were lined with locked file cabinets, and the large, oak table in the center held a dozen computers with access to government databases.

"My goal is the same as yours, I suspect. Several students were overheard discussing the possibility that one of the junior officers on this force may be the alleged Ghost Duelist."

"Matthew Luther started that rumor," Baker replied. His tone and expression implied his displeasure with the idea.

"How much clout do you give his word?"

"Well, eyewitnesses are far from perfect, but he claimed a perfect view, and the officers located Luther's flashlight at the exact site he claimed to see Potter talking about Armageddon. As reluctant as I am to believe the truth of the claim, I also can't dismiss it. Luther hasn't given me much reason to doubt him. But still… Why would a young man spend the effort enrolling in the police academy and earning favors in Kaiba Corp. just to move to Kazuki and proclaim the End of Days?"

"Due diligence is one of your greatest assets," Dr. Lankford complimented his colleague. It was a complex question, indeed. "Have you found any corroborating evidence yet?" First things first, as always.

"I've already pored over his phone credit records. No unusual calls or purchases were made any time since he moved here. His history is unremarkable, as well. Joined the police academy straight out of high school, low SES, no criminal record, suffered asthma as a child, abusive father, parents divorced. Upon graduating the academy, Kaiba Corp. marked him for the Duel Academy force. Nothing remarkable here: a handful of drunk-in-public arrests, some underage drinking. He hardly stands out from the crowd."

"Where is he now?"

"His day off. Tomorrow he begins his day shift rotation." Lankford understood the typical schedule for officers was to work three day shifts and one day off, followed by three night shifts and then another day off. "So he could be anywhere right now."

"I think I've got something interesting," interjected Dr. Gabrielle Houtz, a faculty advisor for the Yellow Dorm, as she burst into the research room. "Oh. Hey, Kevin," she said casually and with a brief smile. She was an attractive woman, partially because she dressed provocatively by Dr. Lankford's standards. She wore dark-colored lipstick during all waking hours; left her black, faculty jacket open in the front to reveal her tight, black dress underneath; and had visible tattoos in three locations on her body.

"What have you got, Gabe?" Baker asked her.

"That Glasgow student Corbin mentioned to us. The one who set himself on fire during some kind of ritual? Corbin was right. He was in league with Starza Almasi and Salman Nazari, plus another guy named Lorn Kruse. The former two are respected researchers now, and they just happen to be teaching that class we sent six of our students to."

"I don't believe in coincidence," Dr. Lankford remarked. "What connection does Pegasus have to them?"

"I don't know," Dr. Houtz replied nonchalantly. He wasn't part of her research and so she wasn't concerned with him. Without skipping a beat, she moved on to say, "Together with the fire guy Tobias Joly, those four all mentioned the name Aiwass."

"Aiwass," Dr. Lankford noted. "The alleged messenger of Harpocrates, or Horus."

"Very good," Dr. Houtz said with a grin.

Baker wasn't on the same page. "Come again?"

Dr. Houtz jumped on the explanation before Dr. Lankford could speak. "When Alexander the Great conquered Egypt, he did what every conqueror did and adapted the local mythology to his own in order to make the people follow him. Horus became Harpocrates."

"Okay," Baker said lightly. Spreading his hands in a mini-shrug, he asked, "So what does that have to do with Potter?"

"I'm getting there. So Horus was supposed to be a personification of the sun, which cycles anew each day after its battle with darkness." Baker still looked confused. "Darkness has always been equated with evil and sin. History is filled with periods of sin followed by redemption. It's a series of Raptures."

"That may be a bit of a stretch," Baker suggested.

"It may be, but mythology comprises thousands of 'stretches.' It's my first theory that this Aiwass entity actually seeks not a Rapture, but a total Apocalypse, probably an event that would allow him to usurp control of the gods from Horus."

Dr. Lankford had to ask, "What's your second theory?"

"That all four people are nutter butters."

"Three," Baker corrected her. "Joly died after suffering third-degree burns along his entire body. No real proof was ever provided of the others' involvement, though all three were investigated with regards to Joly's death. Their prints were taken, and none match Potter's. That right there is proof that he's not one of them." Stepping back figuratively, he added, "But if Nazari and Almasi are in Santa Barbara, maybe Kruse is the real Ghost Duelist here."

Dr. Houtz was silent for a moment before she finally shrugged. "Well, you have to be open to the possibility that Potter really _is_ the Ghost Duelist going under a different name from what you expect. Have you done a background check on Lorn Kruse? He's dead. He suffered a blow to the head from an aluminum baseball bat during a mugging."

"Maybe he had a partner," Dr. Lankford offered.

"I agree," Dr. Houtz replied excitedly. "Tobias Joly."

Baker smirked. "Uh, Gabe? Third-degree burns, remember? He's dead, too."

"No, he isn't. He is _presumed_ dead after he disappeared from the hospital. It's pretty likely he's dead, but there's a chance he survived the wounds. With a great deal of plastic surgery—" She held up a picture of Tobias Joly in one hand. He was a young man with dark hair, an oval-shaped head, and a prominent double-cleft in his chin. "—this, turns into this." She held up a picture of Michael Potter in the other. He had tighter skin, a scar under his left ear, and an identical double-cleft in his chin.

Baker looked over the pictures and then closed his eyes. "That's another stretch."

Looking incredulous, Dr. Houtz asked, "Do you want to hear my mythology argument again?"

Dr. Lankford settled on the longshot. "In other words, the one man whose prints were never taken due to excessive burning may be hiding among the ranks of the police force, and plotting the end of the world in the process. Gabe, you never give good news, do you?"

* * *

The duel to determine a tournament champion to close the competition between Kaiba Corp. and Titus Industries entered the home stretch. Justin Nussbaum held a commanding field presence with his Dark World monsters, but he was unable to inflict much damage on Rory Ruiter yet because of her Deck Master. By discarding from her hand, Cyber Phoenix protected her monsters from targeting effects, but such protection cost her her hand. Grapha, Dragon Lord of Dark World (+3000) and Beiige, Vanguard of Dark World (+1600), both strengthened by The Gates of Dark World Field Spell, stared back at her across an otherwise empty field.

"I'll switch Beiige (1600) to defense mode and end my turn," Justin told her.

Rory 6400: Justin 5000.

Rory placed her hand on her deck and paused, taking a deep breath and pretending to recite some cryptic mantra.

"Are you always this dramatic when you draw?" Justin asked her.

"Only when I have no hand." She yanked the card off the top and posed with it beside her, holding her glance at her opponent until her gaze slowly drifted to her card. "It worked! I'll play Card of Sanctity!" Gold coins began raining from the sky over the field; a handful of cards for each duelist fell hidden within the coins.

"That's a lucky draw," Justin said, "and a very rare card."

"Not as rare as you'd like right now, though, huh?" She offered Justin a heavy smirk. "You remember that first-turn play we discussed earlier?"

"Vaguely."

"Well, I got a Cyber Dragon (5/2100/1600) this time." A large, metallic serpent with a shadowy aura slid its way onto her field. "For backup, I'll summon Cyber Dragon Zwei (4/1500/1000)," a second, smaller serpent with pointier features and a yellow aura. "You know what I plan to do with these?"

"Produce an off-Broadway play?"

Rory giggled. "Yeah, you definitely know Matt. I plan to discard King of the Swamp to draw Polymerization to my hand." From the ground in front of her, the head and arms of an enormous body pushed out as if trying to escape the Graveyard. Covered with sludge, the body began to submit to the weight pulling it back, but not before releasing a bright, blue beam of light from a jewel on its forehead. The light struck Rory's deck and gave her a specific card. "By revealing this Polymerization to you, my Cyber Dragon Zwei becomes a Cyber Dragon."

"Two Cyber Dragons," Justin noted sarcastically. "I wonder what you're doing with them."

"Producing an off-Broadway play," she retorted. "And it stars Cyber Twin Dragon (8/2800/2100)." Both her serpents pulled together at the torso and merged into a two-headed, metallic serpent. "But he's got… Or _they've_ got… Whichever. There's a big, giant sidekick in this play, revealed to audiences through a magical Dragon's Mirror."

Justin smiled. "You're very good at this. The banter, not the duel. I've still got you beat."

Rory couldn't help laughing. "You're not too bad with the banter yourself. Dragon's Mirror lets me remove five dragons from my Graveyard from play to fuse them into Five-Headed Dragon (12/5000/5000)." A gold-framed mirror appeared on the field, glass so smooth it seemed like a portal to another world. The reflection showed five dragons heads coming together and glaring at Rory's opponent. Suddenly the surface of the tiny mirror produced a single, flaming dragon head, followed quickly by four more heads, each representative of the four classical elements, and the body of a golden dragon whose girth was enough to fill all empty space on Rory's side of the field. Were the holograms not transparent, Justin would have lost sight of his opponent. "Which of our dragons is bigger? I can't quite tell."

Justin smirked at her and glanced lightly at Grapha (3000). "It's a toss-up," he agreed.

"Toss this," Rory said as her dragon launched an attack—well, five of them—against the horned, fiend dragon. All five parallel blasts collided with Grapha and the overcharge spread around Justin. But something looked off. "Wait a second…"

"That's right," Justin said in full view of the ghostly, armored samurai who protected Grapha. "By banishing Necro Gardna from my Graveyard, your attack is negated."

Rory looked hurt. "Aw, man. Now I have to settle for letting Cyber Twin Dragon (2800) eat _both_ your monsters." The first metallic head lunged across the field and tore into Goldd, Wu-Lord of Dark World (+2600). The second head chomped into Beiige, Vanguard of Dark World (+1600), though the monster's defensive position prevented damage to Justin's Life Points.

Rory 6400: Justin 5000 – 200 = 4800.

"It's too bad for you The Gates of Dark World make Grapha too strong for Cyber Twin to destroy," Justin taunted as he drew.

"It's too bad for you my Five-Headed Dragon is immune to battle damage from anything except light monsters."

"Well, the bigger they are… I'll just set this little ol' card and _this_ little ol' card and have Grapha destroy one of your multi-headed monsters." The horned dragon plowed its heavy body into the metallic serpent, reared back, and gored the monster with the four horns on its head. "That ends my turn."

Rory 6400 – 200 = 6200: Justin 4800.

"You like 'em bigger, do you?" Rory asked. "I think that can be arranged. I'll activate Advance Draw by sending Five-Headed Dragon to the Graveyard." As the enormous dragon turned to light and faded, two cards popped out of Rory's deck. "'Why would she get rid of such a powerful monster?' you might be asking yourself." Justin simply smiled in reply. "Well, the answer, my suddenly silent friend, is to make a bigger monster using Cyberdark Impact!" Cards dropped from her hand and Graveyard back into her deck in order to fuse. Three metallic monsters appeared on the field briefly and fused into a skeletal dragon that reached into the Graveyard and closed its ribs around a gold-bodied dragon. "Yes, I had a second one. It's another opportunity to summon Cyberdark Dragon (8/+6500/1000), freshly equipped with my Five-Headed Dragon."

Justin shook his head once out of respect for the play. "That is truly an impressive monster."

"Thanks. Now, I know Cyberdark Dragon gains 100 points for each of the five monsters in my Graveyard and banishing any of them would weaken it slightly, but I think it can spare a few points."

Justin waved a one-armed shrug. "Meaning…?"

"I'll banish Cyber Dragon and Hunter Dragon to summon Lightpulsar Dragon (6/2500/1500)." A large, silver dragon stepped onto the field, shining brilliantly as light emitted from its very scales, an amazing contrast to the dark aura of the Cyberdark Dragon. "You ready for this?" Cyberdark Dragon (-6200) released six streams of elemental energy that combined into a single blast as it disintegrated Grapha (3000). Lightpulsar collected energy at its chest and then released all that energy directly at Justin.

Justin instinctively swung his hand to his Duel Disk, but then he closed his eyes for a moment and pulled his hand back, watching the silver energy from Rory's monster hit him directly.

Rory 6200: Justin 4800 – 3500 – 2500 = 0.

Rory just stood there for a moment with a dumbfounded look on her face. "I won?" she finally uttered.

Justin smiled back at her. "Yes, you did. Congratulations, Ms. Ruiter. That was truly impressive."

* * *

Matt opened his eyes to Potter standing in the center of a black circle that shattered after connecting to Potter's aura. It was an odd sight, difficult to understand in his hypnopompic daze, but it seemed pretty clear to him that Officer Potter was casting some sort of spell to put him through those mental trials.

"Hey!" he shouted as he pointed angrily at his foe. But his arm didn't respond to his attempt to point. He looked down to see he was basically sitting up, but his body was still asleep. Apparently his mind recovered from that spell faster than his body. "Why can't I move?"

"I am impressed you awoke so soon," Potter spoke. "Perhaps your shine is indicative of true power and not just a genetic fluke."

"What did you do to me?"

"A simple spell meant to incapacitate you, or at least to keep you busy while the fourth seal was broken. Now it has, and the Apocalypse is near." He offered Matt a sympathetic salute as he turned and said, "Too bad you are in no condition to stop me."

As soon as he turned around, Potter was thrown to his back. He couldn't see with the assailant's hand on his face, but even Matt recognized the voice that said, "I am in perfect condition to stop you."

Matt was stunned. "Jason? What are you doing here?" Whether he meant "why now" or "how'd you find us," Matt wasn't sure. He was confused simply by the presence of someone he thought wouldn't care about or believe in the Apocalypse.

Potter was unfazed, however. With Jason's foot holding him down, he answered, "Pride has returned to punish me."

With a smirk, Jason said, "I let you walk for a little while, knowing you'd let your guard down. But I was ready for the exact moment you thought you'd won, and now is exactly when I will take that power you wanted."

"Is that so?" Potter asked. "Do you believe you deserve the power of the Apocalypse?"

"I don't believe any of us do," Jason replied, "but if it's available, it should go to the best among us, and that's me." He activated his Duel Disk and waited for the signal to connect to Potter's. "You can either accept my challenge or kowtow now."

Potter chuckled as he climbed to his feet. "I wounded your pride when I discarded you, didn't I? Don't worry, boy. This was always the plan."

"What do you mean?" Matt asked him.

"I mean, the fifth seal cannot be broken without the aid of another, but the ritual is delicate. The one who defeats me must be one willing to break the seal and release God or the ritual will fail. I couldn't risk you, who fears death and rapture, defeating me or the seal would only be reinforced. If I win, the seal will shatter by my will. But with Pride as my opponent, then Aiwass will still return to this world even if I should fall."

Jason said, "You should go ahead and plan to lose, Ghost. That power belongs to someone who can use it well."

"Don't be pulled into his story!" Matt yelled, trying to reason with Jason. "You need to win this duel and keep his god sealed away!" But Jason merely scoffed at the idea of listening to anyone immobilized by mind games.

"The ritual has already begun, Pride," Potter said. "We cannot falter in this duel if the seal is to break. Don't disappoint me."

"I don't plan to. I'll whip up a storm with Black Whirlwind when I summon Blackwing – Shura the Blue Flame (4/1800/1200)." Jason's monster was a blue bird-man with no meat on its body, except its hands were like kickboards with claws at the ends. A whirlwind of black feathers blew across the field immediately after Shura's summoning. "Black Whirlwind lets me put in my hand a Blackwing monster with fewer than 1800 attack points. That ends my turn."

Potter smiled. "Very well. I begin with Fissure, a simple Spell to destroy your monster." A crack appeared in the field, spreading quickly straight down to Shura's feet. The crack opened widely and pulled Shura beneath the surface as the field closed up again.

"Destroying a monster by a card effect allows me to summon Blackwing – Kogarashi the Wanderer (6/2300/1600)." A new birdman appeared on the field just over the fissure that consumed Shura. Lanky in stature, this man's wings and tail were thin like scarves, and feathers expanded from his forearms like a sword and shield.

"An unexpected defense," Potter admitted. "Instead of taking the offensive, I will set a monster, and I will place three more cards facedown."

"Three cards," Jason repeated. "You're trying to bait me, or maybe it's a major bluff. You think you can gain the advantage over me one way or another."

"Your pride won't allow that."

"No, it won't." With the first card meant to draw out the Traps, Jason played, "Graceful Charity will give me three cards if I discard two." He waited for a moment before taking his cards, expecting Potter to activate one of his Traps, but nothing prevented him from completing the exchange offered by the toga-clad woman on the field. "No Trap yet? Then I'll move straight into an attack with Kogarashi." His birdman flew across the field and ripped Potter's facedown Mystic Tomato (4/1400/1100).

Potter pulled a card from his deck and summoned Dark Effigy (4/1500/0), a collection of cubes bonded together to form a bigger cube that fluctuated as a living creature. "Destroying Mystic Tomato allows me to summon a weak monster from my deck in attack mode."

"And still no Trap," Jason muttered to himself. "I'll set two cards myself and end my turn."

"I do not wish for this duel to drag," Potter confessed.

Jason nodded. "It's a point of pride with me that no one stands against me for long."

"Then we're agreed. Here's my part: I'll activate Divine Manifestation." A veil of fog covered his field, and then it slowly began to take the shape of a man. "At the cost of half my Life Points, I can summon Eschatos (10/2000/1800) from my deck." A bright light shone from high above the playing field and beamed down to the ground. Within the light stood a bearded man wearing maroon robes and holding a bronze chalice in his hand. He looked about as threatening as a Wheat Thin, but the light never ceased to shine around his body, and he did emanate a certain air of power.

"You think that threatens me?"

"Eschatos is only the messenger," Potter replied. "The real threat lies with his revelation. However, Eschatos does have the ability to equip himself to your monster and reduce its power." The wine drenched Kogarashi (-300), and the acids burned the feathers from its bones.

"Perfect chance," Jason noted. "With a Blackwing on my field, I'll play Delta Crow – Anti Reverse. All your Traps will be instantly destroyed."

Potter shook his finger as if to indicate shame. "_Would_ be. I activate Dark Bribe to protect my other cards." A man dressed in decadent, silk clothes stepped calmly in front of Jason and slipped a gold coin into his deck. As if accepting the bribe, Delta Crow's would-be explosion quelled instantly, and Jason's deck made space for the bribe by ejecting one card from the top for Jason to take. "It was a good effort, however."

"Just finish your turn."

"For firepower, I will send Dark Effigy to the Grave to summon Lightning Punisher (7/2600/1600)." A lanky yet muscular man with silver hair and wearing a black bodysuit appeared on the field, drawing electrical energy from the hologram projectors. He drew electricity in through one arm and expelled it in a single blast to fry Kogarashi (-300).

Suddenly another birdman fell straight from the sky, slashing Lightning Punisher with two long katanas before plummeting through the ground and into the Graveyard. "Your monster survived a battle with my Blackwing," Jason explained, "That means I can discard Etesian of Two Swords to inflict 1000 points of damage to you directly."

Another of Potter's cards activated: Shadows danced around the field, almost as if another monster were hidden in the darkness, ready to attack. Eschatos (2000) reappeared when the shadows settled. "When Eschatos is destroyed while equipped to a monster, Phantom Battle brings him back… just in time for battle. But first, I'll play Lifting the Veil." A veil of shadows circled the field around Eschatos for a moment, and then the shadows began to fade. A small, stone tablet appeared in Eschatos's hand; the image chiseled on the tablet was the exact appearance of Hyper Psychic Blaster. "Equipping Eschatos (+3500) with a Veiled Monster gives him half the attack points of that monster and its effect." The robed man approached Jason nonchalantly and simply laid a hand on him, inflicting the damage of a direct attack.

"You know the downside of putting me on a team together with a bunch of Duel Academy's finest? I picked up a few things from watching them, like the ability to predict your moves."

"You believe you can match wits with Sloth?"

"Well, suffice it to say that by hitting me directly for 2000 points, I can summon Blackwing – Hillen the Tengu-Wind (5/0/2300) and Blackwing – Etesian of Two Swords (3/400/1600) from the Graveyard." The dual-sword-wielding birdman with blue robes reappeared, sticking around long enough to be seen this time. Beside him was a man with greater girth, his face masked by cloths and wielding a long staff.

"That is, indeed, a skillful play. With no more cards for me to play, I will end my turn here."

Jason 8000 – 2300 – 3500 = 2200: Potter 8000 – 4000 – 1000 = 3000.

Jason huffed. "Take a look at the field. This duel is already mine."

Potter's laughter finally reached the level of mockery. "You truly believe you can defeat me and take God's power for yourself? You will be unable to control it."

"I'll bet you ten bucks I'll be fine."

"Don't give in to him," Matt shouted to Jason. He was fortunate enough to catch the proud duelist's attention this time. "He's using you to complete a plan that will kill everyone. It will kill you, too, and more importantly, you will never get the chance to fondle Lucy because she will also be dead."

"She won't die from this plan," Jason said with certainty. "With only a single seal remaining, someone will break it sooner or later. If it fails now, another will retry later. Do you plan to spend the rest of your life trying to protect this seal? On the other hand, if I break the seal now, I can be the one to control its effects."

"You _can't_ control it," Matt argued. "That's the point. There is nothing to control. This 'god' he's summoning wants nothing but destruction."

"It will be controlled by one with the willpower," Jason claimed. "Just watch and I'll show you what I'm capable of."

_Damn, proud fool,_ Matt thought to himself. Jason honestly believed he had the willpower to control anything Potter could summon. He wasn't interested in listening to logic that conflicted with his inflated view of himself.

"Here's what will bring me victory." The two birdmen became enveloped in a whirlwind of black feathers. When the gust died, what remained was not a birdman, but an enormous wyrm: with six steel legs, wiry wings lined with red-bladed feathers, and a beak lined with razor teeth. "It's my Black-Winged Dragon (8/2800/1600)," Jason boasted. "If Eschatos is the messenger of your God, then Black-Winged Dragon is the one who will tame him."

"You think very highly of a single dragon with limited power."

"And a lot of growth potential. But first, your Lightning Punisher is target practice." Jason's monster swung its massive wings and sent sharp blades of wind sailing through the air until they pierced Lightning Punisher's bodysuit, mortally wounding the man. "Now I'll activate Curse of Darkness. Each time either of us activates a Spell, we take 1000 points of damage. So I'll play Mist Body, an Equip Card that prevents Black-Winged Dragon from being destroyed by battle." A Black Feather Counter appeared on Black-Winged Dragon's (-2100) crest, preventing damage to Jason's Life Points. "My dragon's effect protects me from damage, so really, Curse of Darkness is only going to hurt you."

"I understand the risks."

"Good for you. I'll set one card and end my turn."

"Before you do," Potter countered, "I'll use the effect of Lifting the Veil to equip Eschatos with Veiled Monster – Ben Kei."

Jason 2200: Potter 3000 – 200 = 2800.

"During my Standby Phase, Phantom Battle requires 800 points to remain active. I do not foresee an instance where I need it, so I will allow the card to destroy itself to retain my Life Points. I can, however, use Lifting the Veil once more to equip Eschatos with Veiled Monster – Blackwing Armor Master." He watched with sick pleasure at Jason's reaction to seeing his own monster empower the opponent. "You remember the outcome of our previous duel, don't you?"

"Eschatos weakened Blackwing Armor Master the same way he did Kogarashi a minute ago."

Potter nodded knowingly. "Correct. Unfortunately, Eschatos may only gain points from one Veiled Monster at a time, but he can obtain multiple effects. Shall we see how well your saving grace competes with my messenger?" Eschatos approached the dragon and lowered his hand.

"I'll chain Reverse Trap," Jason countered. Suddenly the Black Feather Counter began energizing the dragon instead of poisoning it. "For this turn, all changes to attack power are reversed. Black-Winged Dragon (+3500) is just as powerful as Eschatos (3500)." The two beings competed to a complete draw. The misty veil protected Black-Winged Dragon from destruction while Eschatos's Armor Master tablet gave him invulnerability, as well.

Potter grumbled. "Very well. You succeed for one more turn. Rest assured, however, that the duel _will_ end in my favor, and the fifth seal _will_ be broken."

"Broken or not, you're wrong about the winner," Jason replied. "I'll play Cards for Black Feathers. I banish a Blackwing card from my hand to draw two cards. Curse of Darkness inflicts damage to me for playing a Spell, but Black-Winged Dragon (-1400) negates that again. And now the coup de grace."

"You have mispronounced that term. It is a French expression not pronounced phonetically."

"Don't care. By removing both Black Feather Counters, your monster loses 1400 attack points, and you lose 1400 Life Points." Each of the poisonous feathers stuck to Black-Winged Dragon's crest disappeared and struck Eschatos (-2100) in the chest.

_This is my last chance,_ Matt thought to himself. "Jason, you can win this duel and quash Potter's plans right here."

"I only need to stop his involvement," Jason said. "Controlling God's power is reserved for the most capable among us."

"But if you choose to keep the seal closed, then you establish your dominance over God."

Potter laughed at the notion. "Greater than God because you can interfere momentarily? That is more of a coward's choice, hiding from the power of a god you do not wish to confront directly. The final three seals are the strongest binds on God's power. That anticipation you feel now is nothing compared with the opening of the seventh seal."

"Wait. There's _three_ more seals to this mess?" Jason noted. "What a waste of time. So basically, I win, this seal breaks and I'm clueless to the next step. You winning is not an option. I refuse to _let_ you win."

"Then don't let the seal break!" Matt repeated.

Jason shrugged. "Won't do me any good, anyway." As he depressed the attack button on his Duel Disk, he said, "It looks like Seal #5 is where your journey ends." Black-Winged Dragon (+2800) released a flurry of bladed feathers and skewered Eschatos, eliminating the Messenger of the Omega.

Jason 2200: Potter 2800 – 2100 – 700 = 0.

"This was a waste of my time," Jason told Potter, shoving him to the ground. "You owe me restitution."

Potter was gasping for air, but he still found the strength to smirk as the air around him began to turn silver. "You fool. Your pride led you straight into my trap. Reinforcing the fifth seal was never an option. That aura in the air is the shattering of the fifth seal."

"How?" Matt asked, able to move his arms now, though his legs were still stone. "Was the seal inside you?"

"It was inside this place," Potter answered. "The fifth seal connects Aiwass to this realm. I needed to ensure I was powerless by the end of the duel." He eyed Jason. "You know why, don't you?"

"I don't," Matt said. "Why would you intentionally drive yourself to the brink during a Shadow Game? Unless maybe… only the first four seals were connected to the Shadow Realm." Potter simply looked back at Matt through narrowed eyes. "If breaking this seal connects Aiwass to this world without completely allowing him in, he'll need a body, won't he? You wanted to make sure you were weak enough to accept his spirit into your body without a hitch."

Potter's growled softly. "You might've ruined the plan. I needed someone who already shares power with Aiwass to complete the ritual favorably."

"Two ways to transfer power," Jason remembered.

"That's right," Potter affirmed. "Years ago, my associates and I completed a ritual that allowed Aiwass to give us visions of the future. It was a vision of pain and destruction. Fire rained from the skies and the earth quaked unstoppably until a veil of ash covered the planet. It extinguished the flames, and all life, too. Salman and Starza thought the vision was one of mankind's salvation, but Lorn and I believed it was a sign of the coming Apocalypse."

_Lorn and I?_ Matt repeated mentally.

"An accident during the ritual afflicted me with third-degree burns across my entire body. That contact with Aiwass made it possible for me to survive." Potter stroked his face gently, and then ran his fingers through his hair. "Extensive surgery restored to me a presentable appearance, though not much like the one my mother gave me. Lorn and I completed a second ritual to contact Aiwass… a contact that took the form of a duel I lost to Aiwass. In my weakened state, Aiwass transferred a portion of his power into me, turning me into a follower capable of completing the tasks he assigned me."

"And this time," Jason realized, "you wanted me to defeat you so that Aiwass, unaffected by a battle he wasn't in, could transfer his _full_ power into you."

Matt didn't understand. "If you believed this was a sign of the Apocalypse, then why go through with it? Doesn't it seem like an odd choice to go careering toward an early death when you could have given in to your burns and saved yourself a lot of time?"

Potter wretched and gasped for a moment. When he recovered, he began to appear pale and thin, but "thin" turned quickly to "transparent" as Matt and Jason could both see through Potter's body. He was beginning to fade into thin air.

"I do not wish to see the End of Days," Potter uttered before fading completely. "Aiwass is not the _bringer_ of destruction. He is only the messenger."

* * *

_Once again, tremendous thanks go to **tiramisu19** for scripting Rory's duel with Justin. I could not put this chapter together so quickly without his help._

_The next chapter will conclude this arc. Bryan and company finally return from their course in Santa Barbara, just in time for the Duel Academy Spirit Day celebration, partly to honor Rory and Kaiba Corp.'s victory in the GX Tournament. Does Potter's disappearance mean the safety of humanity, or is the celebration itself the key to breaking the final seals?_

_**Trivia:** This chapter and the previous chapter were "filmed" simultaneously, but the bulk was too long to publish as a single chapter._

_**Credits:**_  
_Ignacio Velez-Menendez...tiramisu19_  
_Divine Manifestation and Phantom Battle...tiramisu19_


	40. Spirit Day Celebration

Chapter 40: Spirit Day Celebration

Duel Academy Spirit Day, a day where the world famous DuelMon Theatrical Group traveled to Duel Academy to put on an entire festival. They and a construction crew always arrived a day early to set up stages and rides around the campus, most of which just had names of popular Duel Monsters (like the Blue-Eyes White Roller Coaster and the Dark Magician Funhouse), but a couple of them were actually named after Duel Monsters that resembled the ride (like the Roulette Spider game, or the Fiend Kraken, which looked like the typical carnival ride 'The Spider').

Though technically an annual event anticipated highly by the student body, the level of advertising was commensurate with the level of celebration the administration desired. When the students emerged successfully in a grand-scale tournament against an entire dueling organization, the urge to celebrate was at its highest levels. Posters were slapped all around the island to promote rides, events, shows, games, and everything else the duelist worrying about the threat of Armageddon or midterms could want. Students at Duel Academy who were studying card design even had their posters accepted and displayed as part of the ad campaign. The entire campus was bustling with activity for an entire extended weekend even in the wee hours of the morning.

Matt saw all this because he had difficulty sleeping. Thoughts of the impending Apocalypse led him to the logical conclusion that sleep was overrated. _I'll sleep when I'm dead, which will be today if I can't figure out what's going on._ Potter disappeared at the site of the fifth seal, and he hadn't been seen since. But he definitely said that the sixth seal would break at noon today, and the final seal would break by the end of the day. But what was the sixth seal? Where would he need to be to protect it?

"Can't you help me?" he asked, hoping to reach the voice of the spirit that lived within the recesses of his consciousness. He tried concentrating, blocking out sounds, and even scaring himself half to death in the bell tower again, but it was like the spirit was asleep and unwilling to awaken. "Thanks a lot."

Right then, Matt heard the helicopter flying in overhead. It bore the outdated Industrial Illusions logo on the side. There was only one reason for an Industrial Illusions chopper to fly into the Academy's harbor at this hour: Bryan was back. He and Matt had been fighting lately, but Matt felt compelled to rush in—so compelled he almost broke his neck dropping down from the bell tower to the ground. With a silent curse and a reminder not to do that again, he took off for the docks.

The east end of the island was open only by Kaiba Corp. authorization when official Duel Academy business was declared and approved, but in addition to two docking piers, there was a helicopter pad for those times when Kaiba Corp. executives made a trip to the island. There was a small building behind the dock and helicopter pad for completion of all business requisites, such as customs and assurance that the occupants are not armed. The building was situated on a steep hill that fed into the beach sands.

From his position atop the slope, Matt saw Bryan exit the helicopter.

Somehow, as soon as Bryan's feet hit the ground, he saw Matt standing up over the hill. Without removing his eyes, he reached back and helped Lucy climb out of the helicopter safely. She knew something was up when Bryan wouldn't look at her, but then she followed his eye line to see Matt watching.

"Go ahead," she told him.

"Thanks, baby," he said and kissed her hand so he could keep watching Matt. He threw his hands up in the air and screamed, "Matt!"

In the distance, Matt's hands also went straight up as he yelled, "Bryan!" Almost in unison, the two of them took off for the building separating them.

"What's his problem?" Mitsuro asked as she climbed out of the helicopter. All she saw was Bryan take off shouting like a mad man.

"He's excited to be back," Lucy answered. A proud smile crept across her face. "It's good to see him back to normal."

"Or his version of normal." Mitsuro was the only one who didn't change into her Academy uniform before the flight. She wore a pair of torn blue jeans, a gray tank top, and a green bandana. She also wore sunglasses, but instead of putting them on her face, they'd been on top of her head the entire trip, a behavior Bryan found odd and mockable, which is why his fingers were strained and popped when he moved them (she hurt him for his insults).

By contrast, Lucy wore a sleeveless blue jacket that was a size too big for her and a blue skirt that ended halfway down her leg. She used to keep it down to her knee, but Bryan's insistence that she was gorgeous inspired her to show off just a little bit. She wasn't in the kind of shape Mitsuro was in, but she also knew Bryan loved her anyway. The ring on her finger was proof of that.

Darius was in full uniform as he exited the vehicle. He immediately turned around and offered a hand to help Numbers out, who was also dressed in full uniform. Then he immediately turned to the back of the helicopter and helped the pilot open the hatch so that Hillary could exit with her wheelchair.

As Mitsuro watched the two guys setting the wheelchair and helping Hillary into it, she asked, "How are we supposed to carry all our luggage without help?"

Lucy answered, "We'll just wait for Bryan and Matt to finish their reunion and then make them carry all of it." As she spoke, she heard loud footsteps coming up behind her quickly. A hand suddenly touched her arm and she turned to see Matt looking almost out of breath. "Matt? Why are you here?"

"Where is he?"

"He's up there," Numbers said, pointing to the hillside where Matt was standing just a minute ago.

"Don't tell me you two missed each other," Mitsuro said. She laughed, but not with amusement—more with pity, as if looking at two dogs who both went searching after a ball that was never actually thrown.

Bryan began jumping up and down to get Matt's attention. "Dude!"

"Dude!" Matt shouted in reply, and both went running into the customs building again.

Mitsuro shook her head. "Those two are such idiots."

"I think it's sweet," Numbers said with a soft smile.

Suddenly Bryan burst out of the building onto the dock and Matt emerged on the hillside. Lucy rubbed the side of her head and said, "I guess I'm somewhere in between."

Bryan yelled at the hillside, "Wait right there this time!" Lucy pulled him by the arm and told him to get the luggage for her. He yelled back at Matt and pointed at the helicopter excitedly, "No. You come here! We gotta get the luggage!" Matt could be seen nodding before he took off for the customs building again.

"Maybe some day he'll love you like that," Mitsuro said mockingly to Lucy. She had grounds for the comment: Bryan was bouncing up and down with excitement until the exact moment Matt emerged from the building and the two guys embraced as passionately as Lucy had ever seen. No kissing, but they hugged tightly enough to wear the same pair of pants… for a very long time.

"What is so funny?" Darius asked. Bryan and Matt were laughing loudly, not even bothering to talk while they hugged.

"It's getting less funny," Lucy said, finally starting to feel a little jealous. "Hey, guys!" The first one didn't work, so she tried putting more bite into it. "BOYS!" Bryan and Matt quickly separated, though still with their arms around one another. Annoyed, Lucy waved the fingers on her left hand to remind Bryan of the ring he gave her.

"I have a new sister!" Matt shouted and ran to give Lucy a hug. She accepted the strong hug, but she again felt a brief pang of jealousy when Matt separated very quickly. Apparently she was less huggable than her fiancé. "I'm so glad you're back. All of you. How was it?"

"Intense," Numbers answered. "But I'm pretty sure you already knew that from texting with Lucy every night." Matt suddenly pulled farther away from Lucy at the comment as if embarrassed to be associated so closely with Lucy.

"You mean the part where your opponents were human versions of the mythical Millennium Items and the whole two-week course was a big conspiracy to pit you all specifically against two people trying to end the whole, all of which was concocted by the creator of Duel Monsters himself? Yes, she mentioned something about that here and there." He nodded to Darius and added, "Thank you, Darius, for assuring me everything would end well." Making a face, he said, "I find it odd that a guy who won't speak with contractions uses text speak abbreviations I've never heard of before. You are aware that you can't just use the first letter of every word in a sentence and expect the other person to understand, right?"

"Yes," he replied. "You already told me that in a text message."

"I know. I just thought calling you out like that in front of everyone might warrant a little laugh. Apparently, I was mistaken."

Bryan patted him heavily on the shoulder. "It's okay, Bro. It's just taking them a while to figure out what he was doing wrong."

A brief, awkward silence passed when Mitsuro finally snapped, "You boys grab the luggage. We should walk while we talk. I see the campus is still here, so I guess you successfully stopped whatever end-of-the-world thing was going on here."

Matt frowned. "Do you want the long version or the short version?"

* * *

The Blue Mansion offered three-room suites for the few students deemed good enough to live there. Half of the rooms were unoccupied, and so Bryan and Darius occupied one suite without a third roommate. Bryan offered his room for a conference, but his floors were littered with clothes that didn't quite make it to the hamper or the dresser, and all the furniture had been pushed up against the walls to create floor space for some exercises in the room. There was not enough room in there for Bryan, Matt, Lucy, Cary, Rory, Mitsuro, Darius, and Justin all to gather.

Everyone agreed to occupy Darius's immaculate room instead while Matt gave his summation.

"In a nutshell, the mysterious Ghost Duelist is just a police officer plotting the destruction of the world by releasing an apocalyptic god into this world. To do so, he absolved himself of sin by passing it off to some of the students here. He also gave physical form to the seals on this god by placing them in yet more students, including my brother here. Once he broke those seals, he allowed himself defeat in order to break another seal and invite the spirit of a second god into his body."

"Why?" Rory asked. "What's the point of the second god if the first one is going to destroy the world?"

"I don't know."

"Is this another Shadow Realm invasion?" Mitsuro wondered.

"I don't know."

Cary asked, "Why didn't he kill you?"

"I don't know."

"What's the capital of Wyoming?" That came from Bryan.

"Cheyenne. Potter said something right before he disappeared—that Aiwass is only the messenger of the Apocalypse. I just can't figure out what that means."

"It means the plan isn't sunk yet," Justin explained. Everyone turned to him as an authority on gods, considering he held a god card longer than anyone. "He was saying that's not his endgame. There's still another step to come. Plus, it may have been simply a warning that he'll be stronger next time."

Darius wondered, "What if he wishes to become the messenger in order to double-up the dangerous god?"

"Doublecross," Mitsuro corrected him. "It seems more likely that he's trying to prepare himself to accept the bigger god's power. His endgame is probably to make himself strong enough to destroy the world."

"I don't know," Matt said. "Darius could be on to something. Potter suggested that even if he were defeated and the seals weren't broken now, someone else would do so later. Maybe he thought that he could release the god himself and stop Armageddon before someone else could destroy the world."

Rory frowned. "That seems really stupid."

"The lady's right," Bryan said. "If that's what this guy is thinking, he's off his rocker."

"It makes sense, in a twisted way," Justin chimed in. "Personally, if I thought the fate of the world was in such a precarious position, and I had the arrogance to think I was the only one capable of stopping it, I'd go ahead and open the door to chaos just so I could save the world and stop the evil permanently."

Bryan slapped his leg and grinned widely. "Nice imagery, dude!"

Lucy was still confused. "So what's next?"

Matt gave an exaggerated and frustrated shrug. "I don't know. I almost feel like our only two options are to go crazy trying to figure it out ourselves, or we wait for something to happen. There has got to be some kind of clue before it actually happens. Or we'll be instantaneously incinerated. But, if that's what going to happen, then I don't think there's much we can do here to stop it."

Another awkward silence followed, finally broken by Cary saying, "You really know how to work a crowd."

"Yes, that's true. So why not just gush for a minute over the fact that Rory will get to be crowned as tournament champ during the festival today." He moved next to her seat just so he could put his arm around her shoulder and shake her a bit. "Exciting, yeah? That GX Tournament was not easy."

"As you proved in the second round," Justin commented dryly. "And after I went through the trouble of fixing your account for you and giving you an easy password."

"I appreciate the effort."

Rory pushed him with her shoulder. "I did half expect to lose to _you_ in the final duel."

"In my defense, the guy who beat me ended up lasting longer than any other Titus guy. And I was trying to do something different."

Darius looked puzzled. "You tried to lose?"

"Not exactly. It's… complicated, but it's also part of why I asked you all here. As you all know, my past is a little complicated, and I recently learned the biggest complication of all." Matt waited for someone to interrupt him or make a joke, but he had everyone's undivided attention. A moment of sincerity from him was rare enough to do that. It made him self-conscious, and he glanced at Bryan, who didn't react well the last time Matt shared this secret. "It turns out, I have a… spirit… living inside me."

Eyes darted from person to person as wordless confusion filled the room. No one could decide if this was one of Matt's bits or if he was given too much morphine during his time at the health center.

"What kind of spirit?" Lucy asked. "The kind that makes you drunk or the kind that's the messenger of the apocalypse?"

Matt's expression turned to realization as he tilted his head at Lucy. "You may very well be a genius."

* * *

After a slew of questions Matt couldn't answer, the group decided Matt may be correct that Potter's plan won't be understood until they actually see it happen. In the best case, Bryan still had one god card he could use to put down the Ghost Duelist once and for all. In the worst case, every move they made was futile in the face of a true rapture. In either case, an attempt to enjoy the Spirit Day festival was warranted by all.

Among the festivities, one tradition a lot of students enjoyed continuing was dressing up as Duel Monsters characters. Between the drama department's costumes and the rentals available from the visiting performers, students could just about dress up as whatever they wanted to be. Matt was among the first to claim a costume, even though it turned out no one else thought it was even half as cool as he did. He wore kakhi pants, a brown shirt, green pauldrons, and a purple cape. By his side, he wore a plastic sword painted silver.

"What are you supposed to be?" Maikeru asked him. "A duck?"

"A duck?" Matt repeated with defeat in his voice. "Why would a duck carry a sword?"

"Why would a duck wear a cape? It's your costume."

"Man, I'm the Celtic Guardian."

"Oh. Geez, it's been a long time since anyone has used that card."

"It's a classic, and an awesome one at that!"

Maikeru didn't have the school spirit to wear a costume, or maybe he just had too much self-awareness to subject himself to jokes and ridicule. The same could not be said for Bryan: He was largely uncovered with the exception of baggy pants and wrist wraps. He had Lucy draw red tattoos on his chest and shoulders, then he got a wig to put on that made his hair look three feet long, which he did up in a ponytail.

"Looks like Wildheart put on a few pounds since high school," Matt mocked him. Bryan's abdomen didn't have the same definition as the card he mimicked, but few did in the real world.

"You're going to be cold when the sun goes down," Maikeru warned him. "Until then, I hope you put on a lot of deodorant."

Bryan moaned, "You guys are just a bunch of downers. I'm going to find Lucy." He checked his watch as the three guys left the dressing rooms. Matt mentioned the sixth seal breaking at noon. It was already eleven. Now was the time to have their eyes open.

* * *

"You're staring again," Cary said.

Kas reacted with a start, partly because Cary appeared as an elf wearing sky blue—one half of the Gemini Elf—but she settled quickly. "I can't help it." She leaned against the door for another moment, staring at Matt dreamily, yet distantly at the same time. She felt little guilt at that moment about not wearing her half of the costume.

"You're leaving, aren't you?" When Kasumi hesitated, Cary knew she was right. "You didn't do anything you can't recover from, you know? Matt will understand."

"I know he will. But he won't trust me again."

"He'll get over it. You two can be friends. You still have a lot in common."

She shook her head and let out a soft, sorrowful chuckle. "He's not even the problem. I hate myself right now." She took a second to compose herself and fight back the tears before continuing. "I'm jealous of the way he talks to Aurora, I'm jealous that I can't be as good a duelist as he is, and I'm jealous that he loves Bryan more than he loves me. And every time I see him, I'm reminded of that jealousy. And when I realize how jealous I am, I get angry, and that reminds me of what I'm capable of. I let my anger get the best of me before and I sold my soul to the Ghost Duelist."

"He seduced you with power," Cary said, defending her friend. "He got nearly a dozen people that way."

"It doesn't matter. He got me, and only because I was such an easy target. He used me to purge his own envy because I radiated so much of my own. I'm not as special as I always wished. Not like Matt."

Cary shifted, and Kasumi noticed. "You know something about him that I don't?" Cary wasn't willing to share, but it didn't matter. Kas sighed and shifted her stance to lean against Cary. "I know time heals all wounds, but this will require time away from Matt."

Cary hugged her tightly. "I'll miss you."

"I promise we'll keep in touch." She separated from Cary, choosing not to say goodbye to Matt or any of the other friends she felt she betrayed. Few even saw her depart the island that morning. But she didn't go alone.

* * *

Given the time he spent researching the god cards, Tai Ishihara was pleased to spend a little time with Justin during the festivities. Even though he already used Lucy and Erica as references for characteristics of the god cards, neither of them owned a god card for the same length of time that Justin did.

Unfortunately, he didn't have much additional information to offer.

"Sure, I asked around about the origins of the god cards," he explained to the inquisitive Tai. "The history as it was passed down through the Guardian Duelers was that when Pegasus first created the Egyptian God Cards, his proclivity toward ancient magic caused him to capture a piece of the Shadow Realm in them by accident. He tried hiding the cards, but after they were looted, Seto Kaiba found them and decided the best way to hide them was to put them in a place where everybody's eyes were on them at all times.

"Mokuba Kaiba developed the Sacred Beasts as an attempt to create duel-friendly versions of the god cards, but somehow he captured pieces of the Shadow Realm in those, too. Rumor has it he had a lot of direct experience with the Shadow Realm during his life, so maybe that's how he managed to make that same mistake."

Tai nodded. "I heard the same story from Miss Dawkins. She also mentioned that the gods were all stolen again at some point?"

"That's right. Before coming to Duel Academy, Kaiba tried sealing away all six god cards, but they were looted then as well. Given all the hauntings and accidents surrounding the cards, they were collected again and resealed using a shadow ritual. In their inert forms, they came here for protection."

"Do you know who collected them?"

"No. Nor do I have any knowledge of any shadow rituals, let alone the one used to seal the cards. Have you spoken to the professors about it?"

"I've tried. They aren't especially talkative on the subject. I get the feeling Dr. Kerr and Pr. Baker don't know much. If they do, they have extraordinary poker faces. Dr. Lankford definitely knows, but I've had an easier time getting information out of statues than out of him."

Justin smiled. "Yeah, you're probably right about those three. Very reliable. What about Dr. Apple?"

"Who?"

He made a face and then remembered, "Oh, right. He's not here anymore. Does anyone have contact information for him? He knew more about the god cards than anyone… except maybe Maya Kawamura, but I don't think she'll be much help. Matt claims she was killed by the Shadow Realm."

"So Dr. Apple is the one to start with." Tai pondered for a moment the name, certain he must have heard something about him before. "Is he the one who made all the clones of Matt?"

The only thing that prevented Justin from reacting with more than a cocked eyebrow was the fact that Matt told him about the clones just that morning. "I suppose so." He found it difficult to believe the story, given how friendly and together Dr. Apple always was.

"So contacting Dr. Apple is Step 2," Tai concluded. "Step 1 is going to be finding the god cards. It would be a great start if I could figure out what happened to them."

"Bryan still has his," Justin noted. "Maybe when he took it from the woods, the shadows were drawn to that spot. I don't know who specifically would have taken them, but I would encourage you not to exclude the legends prematurely. A lot of people think the cards are possessed by spirits."

Tai tilted his head and considered the possibility that the cards got up and walked off on their own. "Supposedly, the Shadow Realm is a higher realm possessed by a single, collective consciousness. But what if that consciousness were fragmented and pieces of it were separated for years? Would it really develop into a separate entity?"

Justin shrugged. "The next question, then, is: Is the distinct entity more powerful?"

* * *

One of the events on the day's docket was a reshowing of Rory's duel against Justin on an enormous TV. Having missed the live version and the original airing, Bryan and Matt set up seats right in front to get a really good view. Lucy accompanied Bryan, though she had to keep looking away to prevent straining her eyes, and Rory sat next to Matt. That event was actually one of the few times Matt took his eyes off of her: She wore a low-cut, orange leotard with tiger strips on it—the card Thunder Nyan Nyan.

Rory hated watching the show because she kept pointing out mistakes she made or plays she could have done better given what she knew later. Matt disagreed with her the whole way and just kept shushing her so he could watch more attentively.

"Hey, Matt." Cary stood right in front of him as she called—the only certain way to get his attention, and her own low-cut costume really helped. "Can we talk for a minute?"

"Any chance it can wait until this duel is done? I wasn't there to see it in person."

"Neither was I. I was busy reading up on _your_ birth parents."

Matt frowned at her. "No fair." He apologized to Rory for abandoning her in the middle of her duel and then told Bryan, "With any luck, I'll be back in a few minutes." Bryan didn't even look up, but he did manage to utter, "Bring me back some Sno-Caps."

Cary led Matt away to a slightly quieter spot, and Matt couldn't help leading with, "If you really wanted my attention, you should have worn a Water Omotics costume. The original version, before they decided children might play this game."

"Shut up. I found out that Dr. Apple and Leona Moxley were married for a while."

Matt stood there for a moment, completely stunned. "Wow. So… I've met both my parents."

"Are you okay?" Cary watched him closely. His reaction wasn't certain yet. He still looked like he might pass out, so she put a hand on his arm to steady him. "I'm not sure why they sent you away or why they didn't tell you who they were, but I have a guess."

He swallowed visibly. "Is this the kind of guess I should sit down for?"

"Probably a good idea," she decided. She looked for a nearby bench or even a low wall, but Matt just dropped straight to the grass, even though it caused his plastic sword to jab him in the ribs. After he adjusted it, Cary told him, "I found some birth records from a hospital near Gathas. Apparently, twenty years ago, Oscar and Leona Apple became the proud parents of twin boys."

"Twins," he repeated, still unemotional. "Then I have a brother?"

"Not exactly. One of the boys died of SIDS after only six months."

"Which one?"

Cary bit her lip and reminded herself that Matt was obviously having a much harder time dealing with all of this information than he let on. Without being sarcastic or snide, she knelt next to him and put her hand on his shoulder again. "You survived. Your brother is dead."

"That sucks," he said. "I guess it's good for me, though." She waited to see if he had anything else to say or if he had any specific questions that might help him deal. "What was his name?"

"Andrew," she replied softly. She paused for a moment before adding, "Your name at birth was Zeke."

"Zeke," he repeated. "I wonder how I got from that to Matthew."

"Seriously, are you okay?"

It took almost ten seconds for Matt to respond, but finally he nodded and looked Cary in the eye. "I'm fine." He hopped to his feet and pulled her into a hug. "Thanks for finding something for me. You're a genius." He let go of her and put a big smile on his face. "I'm going to go watch the rest of the show."

As he went bounding back to his seat between Bryan and Rory, Cary simply thought to herself, _He is _not_ fine._

* * *

The end of the duel video elicited a round of applause and a lot of praise thrown Rory's way. Matt, among the crowd, was just as pleased with her success, but he couldn't help noticing something during the video. Bryan was on the same page, and the pair both flagged down Justin, who was making his rounds catching up with former classmates.

"So what was your last facedown card?" Matt asked his old friend.

Hiding a grin, he answered, "Gateway to Dark World."

Matt's eyes went wide with shock. "What? Why wouldn't you play that? It could have won you the duel." Bryan seconded the opinion.

"_Maybe_," Justin replied. "All it would do for sure is give me an extra defense against that direct attack." He shrugged and added, "And maybe I had a way to summon Reign-Beaux during the next round."

"I don't know, man," Bryan commented. "That's sounds a lot like a win to me."

"Not guaranteed. All it guaranteed me is another turn. Aurora still had Lightpulsar Dragon. When I destroyed that, she'd get to summon another dragon to her field. Maybe I could overcome that, or maybe it would give her the game."

Now Matt was confused. "Why let her win?"

"I don't need this," Justin reminded him logically. "I work with computers all day at Kaiba Corp, already a lucrative job that most people will never be talented enough to get. Rory is going to be a pro some day. Having the crown from this tournament under her belt at such a young age is going to look great on her résumé."

Matt lightly pushed Justin with his fist—a passively violent act when viewed by a woman but as affectionate as a hug and kiss from a guy's perspective. "You're a good guy, dude. Not a snide jerk like you were a few years ago."

"You're still a jerk," Justin replied jokingly.

"And you should have played that card," Matt told him. "Rory still would've kicked your ass."

* * *

"Just hold it like so… Then swing and…!" Logan cheered loudly when the horseshoe clanged against the stake and wrapped around it. "That makes undeniable victory for me." He tilted his head to the side and gently pointed as if poking his opponent from a distance. "Booyah."

Leila smiled and said, "Well, I was close."

"Yeah," Logan laughed, "but close only counts in, uh… Ah, you lost!"

Ty and Clyde operated a popcorn booth nearby, raising a little bit of extra money for their group and secretly handing out winnings for those patrons who participated in the Duel Club the previous night but missed the chance to collect.

"I'm telling you, there's something off about Logan's punch," Vic said to Hayley. "Look what it did to Abel."

"Look what it did to _you_!" Abel snapped back. He immediately starting snickering to himself like he'd made the funniest joke in the world. When he stood, his back was shaped like a question mark.

Vic continued, "I'm pretty sure Kool-Aid didn't do that to him. There's no way we can get away with offering this to any of the students. The majority of them aren't even old enough for it."

Suddenly Hayley gave her response in the form of a yawn wide enough to swallow a head of lettuce. Vic asked her, "Am I boring you? How is this not a little bit funny?"

"It's not you. Drunk Abel is very funny. I'm just exhausted. I think, maybe, Serpentina has been particularly active at night lately. I never remember what she does, but I frequently wake up wearing different clothes from the ones I went to bed with."

"That's a bummer," Vic said. He put his arm around Hayley both as affection and for structural support. "You don't have any idea what she's doing? No brief glimpses or dreams or anything?"

"Not this time," she answered through another yawn. "I just hope it's legal and doesn't affect my health."

"Me, too." Suddenly Vic caught sight of a campus police officer heading right toward them. "Linear! It's the fuzz! Ix-nay on the unch-pay!"

A master of subtlety, Linear grudgingly spun Abel by the hips, causing the drunken stumbler to walk right into the cooler with Logan's punch. The cooler popped open when it hit the ground and every drop spilled out into the grass. Linear flashed Vic a quick thumbs-up and went about his business.

"What I wouldn't give for that boy to see a therapist," Vic muttered. He recognized the officer with the double cleft in his chin as one he'd seen around campus a lot. Today, especially, the police presence was greater than usual. A festival like this one left a lot of potential for illegal antics and accidents requiring assistance. He nodded as the officer walked by, but the officer didn't acknowledge him. He didn't even seem to notice when he stepped through the fresh mud. He looked like he was on a mission.

A slight squeal of the speakers preceded an announcement by Dr. West that the ceremony would begin soon.

All attention was diverted momentarily to the stage where Dr. West began describing Rory's application process and listing her achievements at Duel Academy and in Duel Academy's name during summer and winter breaks. Her body language did little to suggest any level of embarrassment or nervousness about being honored in front of the entire festival crowd, but her ears had turned slightly red, so she wasn't immune to the pressure.

As soon as Rory was named champion and Dr. West prompted the applause from the audience, three squeals shot through the air behind the stage and exploded into a fireworks display.

Standing off to the side of the stage for the presentation, adorned in her black Academy jacket, open to prevent overheating in the summer sun, Erica admired the fireworks. "I didn't know we would have a fireworks show. Did Kaiba Corp. pay for it?"

"I did." Erica turned in surprise to see James Flores, the fertilizer mogul. He borrowed her deck during a Duel Club bout once before, and he offered a bit of chemistry in return. He smiled at her with the kind of smile that suggested he could show happiness while being ready to hop straight to business at any moment. She had a similar smile, one suggesting she had little interest in dating during grad school, but she recalled him fondly. "I cleared the display with Kaiba Corp., but I thought it would be a nice touch for a festival like this."

A few of Erica's friends nearby were bright enough to decide they should hobnob elsewhere for a while.

"It's lovely," she said. "Why would you volunteer such an expensive display for a school you never attended?"

Now his smile looked a little guilty. "Well, I did cover the cost when I lived out a childhood fantasy of winning a high-stakes duel recently. The emotion I felt in that moment was worth twice the cost of a fireworks show. What better way to give back than to do something nice for the school?"

"No ulterior motives?"

"Maybe you can give me a tour of the campus sometime."

"There it is," she said. She didn't look upset, but she certainly wasn't surprised. She was a very attractive young woman, and he wasn't much older. In fact, Bryan had hit on her heavily when he first met her—disarmingly so. By contrast, James took a much more subtle approach. "I'm still working on my graduate degree. I'd like to be a full-fledged professor one day."

"That's excellent. I've heard nothing but good things about what you've done behind the podium already." She tilted her head, and so he explained, "I read your profile on ratemyprofessor. You have nearly impeccable ratings. I have no desire to derail your ambitions, but you will need to take some time to relax and exercise social skills. I would simply like to be the one to take you out to unwind while I learn a little more about you."

She blushed. "There's not that much to know."

"I've heard a lot of ominous rumors floating around about this campus. Most of them sound like ghost stories, but you seemed to believe there was something dark happening at the duel club. You don't seem like an impulsive woman. I assume you have some reason to believe in the shadow stories."

Erica's uncertain expression spoke volumes about her uneasiness divulging her experiences with the Shadow Realm, but she didn't have to come up with any excuses. Suddenly the sky filled completely with the brilliant light of fireworks punching straight up and creating a backdrop of so many blended colors the display looked more visually offensive than artistic.

After holding her ears from the deafening crack, Erica asked, "Were they supposed to set them all off simultaneously?"

James looked irritated as he turned toward the fireworks, but his anger faded with the light. As the fireworks died out in the sky, the sky turned pitch black. Try as they might, no one was able to find the sun. The sky seemed cloudless, yet it was blacker than the darkest night. "That wasn't me, either," James said.

The ground began to shake violently. Food and drink tables collapsed. Booths toppled over. People fell to the ground. Dr. West tumbled straight off the stage and landed on his shoulder while Rory fell backward and was struck stiff on the stage floor. The entire island seemed to be trying to flip itself upside-down.

Rory no longer felt the shaking. She felt herself rise out of her body and watch Michael Potter approach. He wore his police uniform, with the shirt collar unbuttoned and he tossed his hat to the floor. The shaking stage didn't seem to affect him much. He looked pissed off as he gazed at the light coming from Rory's body. She was beginning to shine with a pale light, and darkness seeped from her skin. Potter appeared ready to strike her down.

Suddenly he dropped to one knee and bowed. "My lord," he uttered.

Against her will, Rory's body rose from the floor as if it were a doll being lifted and placed upright. Her eyes remained closed but the air around her turned blacker than the sun. She would not speak, but still Rory felt pure terror at seeing herself like that.

"After all this time and preparation," Potter spoke, "the end has come."

* * *

_Lorn couldn't believe his eyes. Could the man in front of him really be Tobias come back to life, or was he truly cursed by a mummy from that tomb he visited? The man had Tobias's smile, but his eyes shone differently from before. They held fury like none Lorn ever previously witnessed._

"_We have been blessed with a vision of the future," the bandaged man claimed. "Lorn, we have seen how the world will end. We have the distinct opportunity to choose sides—to protect the earth or to gain favor for the afterlife."_

_He proceeded to describe the scene, witnessed by only four people, and Lorn knew for certain that Tobias was alive. "You survived…"_

"_I did, and so did you. Aiwass gave us that vision, as well as the power to do something about it."_

_Lorn rubbed his face, disbelieving the conversation from three years earlier was recurring. "Salman and Starza think the vision was a sign of god's salvation—of how the earth will be saved from evil."_

"_That's why I came to you. Those two will do whatever they can to ensure god's return because they believe it will save humanity. We, in turn, must be ready to do whatever it takes to stop them."_

"_How? We all graduated a year ago. I haven't kept up with them."_

_Tobias grinned and grabbed Lorn by the shoulder tightly. "We don't need them directly. Our stubborn old friends would never change their minds once they draw a conclusion, so convincing them to follow a different path will never work. I would also never wish them dead. But what we can do is learn more about how the world will end."_

"_And then," Lorn concluded, "we stop it from happening?"_

"_Exactly."_

_And so, the pair set out to summon Aiwass a second time, this time through the most ancient of shadow rituals—a duel. Fighting an unseen enemy was difficult enough, but Tobias was not a top-ranked duelist and he faced an opponent that seemed to will events to happen on the field. Tobias was summarily defeated. But with defeat came another vision and a greater understanding of what was to come._

"_Aiwass is simply a messenger of the Apocalypse," the unseen god spoke. He showed Tobias and Lorn a vision of darkness, with the world in ruin and swallowed by constant storms. "Four chosen ones were offered visions of the future and a choice about how to experience the world's fate."_

_The scene shifted to Starza and Salman, studying from their books and making preparations to summon the apocalypse. "Two have already been swayed by a false god self-proclaimed as the Shadow Lord. The Shadow Lord seeks conquest—not rapture. His summoning will cause destruction in the human realm, but even he will be destroyed when the Apocalypse rises."_

_This time, the scene shifted to seven unicursal hexagrams, each of differing hues. "Seven seals currently prevent the Apocalypse entering this realm, but they are tenuous. The Apocalypse cannot be prevented."_

"_No!" Lorn protested. "There has to be some way to stop the Apocalypse! This world can't end just like that!"_

_Aiwass insisted, "The end is inevitable. Without the current chosen ones, the end will come in another form." The consciousness faded from the vision once more and the two men were left with a feeling of uneasiness—but only one felt any uncertainty._

"_If it is inevitable," Tobias decided, "then we will end it all on our terms."_

_Lorn couldn't believe what his friend just said. "You can't be serious! Now you want to be the one who ends the world?"_

"_Aiwass said the world will end with us or without us," Tobias explained. "If we are the ones to break the seal and allow the Apocalypse into this world, then maybe we can also prepare countermeasures to prevent the world from being destroyed."_

"_No way!" Lorn looked hysterical as he stood and began pacing frantically. "If the Apocalypse is inevitable, then the best we can hope for is to slow it down. But even that is a practice in futility!"_

"_If we don't do this," Tobias explained, "someone else will. At least if we are the ones to open the seals, then we have a chance to destroy the Apocalypse on the spot. Given enough time, I believe we can devise a plan that will save humanity from extinction, but we will have to face off against the Apocalypse in order to destroy it. Will you join me?"_

_A single gunshot gave Lorn's answer in blood._

* * *

"I have prepared long for your arrival," Potter said. He slowly raised his chin so he could see the spirit of the Apocalypse possessing the body of the island's strongest duelist. "Against Aiwass's advice, I refused to accept the end of humanity right here, and so I took in all the power of your messenger and prepared a counterstrike."

The floor of the stage began to shine with a brilliant, golden light in the shape of a heptagram. "I have taken the power of the seventh seal within myself in order to trap you in here. This space around us will implode before you can break through. I feel sorry for the girl's sacrifice, but the only way to destroy a god is to give it a mortal vessel." Potter clenched a fist and punched the ground, immediately rebounding to his feet.

"Come! Face me before your end comes!"

Rory's body rose from the ground as if being carried, but she ceased immediately. Potter's body suffered violent spasms and jolted electricity, and then his aura exploded. After lying on the floor motionlessly for a moment, he sat up and resumed a position of fealty before Rory. His eyes sparkled with a golden light.

"Apologies, my lord. Aiwass gave the chosen one enough power to build the seventh seal within himself. With your servant's willing sacrifice, the seal will break and your glory shall bring the world to salvation."

Rory's right arm rose and pointed at Potter's body with a closed fist. His belly burst and a hole appeared straight through to the floor. The golden heptagram on the floor transformed into a hexagram and shattered.

The seventh seal was unleashed.

Rory's body dropped lifelessly to the ground and the possessing spirit spread to the surrounding sky. The only thing bridling the might of the Apocalypse was the confined space Potter created around the stage. Once that was broken…

"I failed, Lorn," Potter uttered, himself again just before death. "Is the End of Days truly inevitable?" A single tear ran from his eye.

"Rory~!"

Bryan slipped into the space easily, his Duel Disk armed and activated. He looked around to see Potter dying, Rory motionless, and the shadows in front of him taking shape. Like a living cloud, the shadows formed a humanoid torso in front of him—a dark cloud except for eyes shining white like spotlights.

"Rory~!" The shout repeated as Matt slammed against the outer barrier. He was unable to break through the barrier like Bryan could, but with each time he slammed his shoulder against it, the darkness seemed to shift as if opening a doorway. He paused for a moment, took in a deep breath, and began to shine. With an ethereal force surrounding him, he plowed directly through the barrier and fell to Rory's side.

"She's alive," Matt said. "Thank god."

"So Step 1's a success," Bryan noted. "Good. Step 2 seems pretty pointless now with that hole in Potter's belly. We may have to add a Step 3, though."

The shadow man began to grow. Like a storm brewing in sight, the dark clouds billowed high and wide, filling the air and smothering the sworn brothers.

"Holy sh—"

* * *

_Well, that certainly came out a lot longer than expected, so you get one more chapter for this arc. I don't how well received this one will be, but I feel like I got a little bit of my mojo back. I really like this one. I apologize that I couldn't squeeze every character in here, but I made sure to show a brief glimpse of Vic's life returning to normal because he's been a significant character through this arc. (I hope you liked the Horseshoes joke.)_

_When I post the next chapter (next week), I'll include a quick promo and title for the fifth arc. I've tried a lot of different things with this series, and I'm finally starting to hone in on my better writing talents, I think/hope. The narrative style of the next arc will be stronger and better._

_**Trivia:** When I'm happier about a story, I update more often. You can help by reminding me that you care. 80)  
_


	41. The End of Duel Academy

Chapter 41: The End of Duel Academy

Bryan always wished he could fly. The sky was so inviting and the air was clearer higher up. It would feel amazing, climbing and diving, the wind blowing in his face But if he ever flew into a storm, his frail, human body would suffer worse than an airplane ever did. Struck by lightning, battered by clouds, spun around and disoriented by powerful winds… all before he plummeted to the ground at terminal velocity.

Entering that stage bore little difference from flying into a storm. He walked into a rising storm and felt like he was being ripped apart. He could see nothing save an occasional flash of lightning, and he was deafened by the roaring of wind and the snapping of thunder. The air smelled of ozone, but the clouds tasted like charred flesh. Maybe getting involved in this shadow assault wasn't worth it. And then he felt guilty for thinking—even for a second—that Rory wasn't worth saving.

"Matt!" he choked out.

But Matt couldn't hear him, nor could the two see one another. Matt suffered the same ill effects, each passing second pulling him closer to the breaking point. He couldn't handle the physical abuse for much longer, but Rory's safety depended on him.

"If there's any kind of power inside me, I need it now," he gasped.

The voice came to him suddenly and from all directions:

_My energy was conserved for this moment. Until the time of the true frashokereti, my capacity is limited. I cannot fully combat this darkness, but my power can provide an opportunity for you to fight back. Use your light to quell the darkness and protect your realm._

Matt recognized the voice. Simply hearing the voice of the Uncreated within him gave him warmth and seemed to dispel the barrage of storms.

"I don't know what power," Matt said. "How do I fight darkness itself?"

_The cards act as a focal point for your power. Take cards in hand and give light to the images. The light of a god can restore the world._

Suddenly the storm let up. The clouds pushed back to the edge of the stage barrier, giving Bryan and Matt room to breathe. They could see one another again. Matt dropped to the floor to make sure Rory was still okay. He wished he could do something to help her wake right then, but the fact that she was breathing was a good start.

"What happened?" Bryan asked. "Why are the shadows receding?"

"The Uncreated," Matt replied. "He says I couldn't hear him until now because he was building up the power to fight back. But he can only weaken the Apocalypse: He needs me to fight it."

"You mean _us_. But how do we fight?"

Matt's Duel Disk slid into place as he activated it. "The same way we always do."

Bryan grinned and reached out to grab Matt's hand. Matt assumed it was just a show of solidarity, but then he realized Bryan put something in his hand. It was Bryan's spare deck box—the one he carried on his belt.

"If we're going to duel together, we need the proper chemistry. You remember how to use it, right?"

Matt peeked at the cards, and with a smile removed the Darklords from his Duel Disk. "Of course I do. You didn't understand them until I explained it to you."

"Yeah, whatever, bro. Let's do this."

"Yeah. Let's duel against an imaginary enemy that wants to destroy the world."

"It sounds dumb when you say it like that."

Matt chuckled nervously. "It keeps me from panicking." He and Bryan separated enough to give themselves field space. "So, who goes first?"

Suddenly an image appeared before them. As if an optical illusion, a gray, sickly horse rode in from a great distance, though the stage was only a few meters wide. When the horse came near, the bros could see a zombie riding the horse's back. This was Pestilence, Horseman of the Apocalypse (1/300/0).

"Got it," Bryan said, instantly accepting the move made by the Apocalypse and not dwelling on the idea of an invisible god of destruction playing along with Duel Monsters. "Mind if I start?" he asked Matt, who waved him on. "I'll start by playing Polymerization to fuse Avian and Burstinatrix into Elemental Hero Flame Wingman (6/2100/1200)!" His monsters began to swirl into a single spot in the air and merge into a bigger monster—a green warrior with one white wing and a red, dragonic arm that extend down his backside into a long tail. "Now Flame Wingman can eliminate the first Horseman." Flame Wingman made an impressive attack against the rider, but the zombie was not consumed by the flames.

"I guess it's got a special ability," Matt suggested. He watched Flame Wingman for a moment in awe. It was so much brighter than Evil Hero Inferno Wing, and its presence was warm and reassuring. "It's good to have you back, Bro."

"Good to be back, bro," Bryan returned. When Bryan ended his turn, it was the first time either guy actually looked at their Life Points.

Matt 32,000: Bryan 18,000: Apocalypse ? – 1800 = ?.

"Um… What's going on with the LP here?" Bryan wondered aloud. "They seem… higher… than normal."

"I don't know," Matt replied. "Just throwing this out there, but maybe, if we're actually fighting this duel on a spiritual level, our Life Points reflect the spiritual stamina we have inside."

Bryan frowned for a moment. "Why are you almost twice as durable as I am?"

"Well, I do have the spirit of an uncreated god living inside me."

"Ooo, cryptic. I like it."

"For now," Matt suggested, "let's worry about the fact that the Apocalypse has more points than the Life Point Counter can display. It can show five digits, so let's just see what I've got up my sleeve." He drew his hand and perused the cards Bryan gave him. "I'll summon Elemental Hero Neos Alius (4/1900/1300)," a warrior wearing a white, skin-tight outfit with a blue jewel on his chest, a yellow jewel on his forehead, and curved spikes on his elbows and the top of his head, "and I'll play Ancient Rules to summon the real Elemental Hero Neos (7/2500/2000)," a bigger, older version of his first monster. "They'll both knock down on your horseman." Both bladed warriors leaped across the field with their powerful legs and struck the rider with their elbow blades.

Matt 32,000: Bryan 18,000: Apocalypse ? – 1600 – 2200 = ?

Now a second horse—this one was a small white horse—with a stout rider came from the darkness to the field. This was Famine, Horseman of the Apocalypse (2/800/0).

Suddenly a massive fissure opened on the ground and drew all three Elemental Heroes on the field inside. As soon as they fell below the surface, the fissure resealed, and both Horsemen attacked Bryan directly by trampling over him with their horses. Bryan fell back when he was struck, surprised that he was able to feel physical pain here.

Famine held its hand forward, and the shadows began to swirl in his palm until they became a heavy, compact ball of energy the size of a volleyball. Famine threw the energy ball at Bryan, who let out a mighty scream as the shadows attacked his personal energy store. Famine repeated the process with Matt, whose scream was equally terrible.

Matt 32,000 – 5000 = 27,000: Bryan 18,000 – 300 – 800 – 5000 = 11,900: Apocalypse ? – 3000 – 20,000 = ?.

Bryan took a moment to shake off the burning sensation that permeated his body. Each and every organ tissue felt like it was inflamed. "What was that?" Bryan grunted through the pain.

Matt took a deep breath to shake it off. Steam was coming off his ears. "I think we're tied to the game. As our Life Points decrease, so will our spiritual power. No spiritual power probably means no life force. And it seems like that second Horseman has an effect that allows for a _lot_ of Effect Damage."

"Then let's get rid of him." Bryan slapped down another card. "I'll summon Elemental Hero Bubbleman (4/800/1200) and draw two cards by his effect." Bryan summoned a caped crusader, adorned in blue armor with a white cape, wearing two water tanks on his back connected to hoses on his forearms. He aimed the nozzles at his sides and produced two giant bubbles, each carrying a card. "Now I'll play Bubble Shuffle; this changes the attack position of Bubbleman (1200) and Pestilence (0)." Bubbleman began to spin and cover the field in a torrential spray of bubbles. "Next I get to Tribute Bubbleman for another Hero in my hand—Elemental Hero Bladedge (7/2600/1800)," a gold-plated warrior with curved blades on his elbows and tail wings on his back. "I'll have Bladedge attack Pestilence (0), and when he attacks a monster in defense mode, he does Piercing damage." His gold Hero flew across the field and slashed through the zombie, but the wound was temporary as the zombie reassembled itself.

"I'll put a card facedown, and I'll let my bro take care of Famine."

Matt 27,000: Bryan 11,900: Apocalypse ? – 2600 = ?.

"I'll try. First, Convert Contact lets me discard a Neo-Spacian from my hand and from my deck to draw two cards. I'll summon Elemental Hero Stratos (4/1800/300)." A blue-skinned man with white pants, a blue breastplate, and wings with two gyros on his back swooped from the sky and hovered over the floor. "I get to take an additional Hero from my deck to my hand. Stratos will attack Famine (800)." The blue Hero buzzed across the field and bombed the spell casting horseman.

"Yes!" Matt shouted when the horseman disappeared. "Only one of them is invincible. Maybe we've got a shot at this fight after all."

Matt 27,000: Bryan 11,900: Apocalypse ? – 1000 = ?.

Now a third horseman rode in from the distant nowhere. This one was an armored creature riding a red horse. This was War, Horseman of the Apocalypse (3/1600/0). Pestilence (300) switched to attack position and began to glow. Stratos and Bladedge both disappeared into a reopened fissure, just like the other monsters. Both Horsemen targeted Matt this time.

Matt 27,000 – 1600 – 300 = 25,100: Bryan 11,900: Apocalypse ? – 3000 = ?.

"How much power does this entity have?" Bryan wondered as Matt struggled back to his feet. The Life Point Counter was still unable to put a number on the opponent's overall power, despite the 15,000 LP already struck against the darkness.

"Maybe it's boundless," Matt suggested grimly.

"It can't be boundless," Bryan argued. "It hasn't brought forth the full Apocalypse yet. Your Uncreated friend is still able to hold it back. And it still hasn't taken Rory yet. It can't have that much power."

Matt took in a deep breath and nodded with renewed energy at Bryan's logic and hopefulness. Hearing his friend speak the way he used to gave him hope. "You're right, Bro. We have a shot. But first we need to get rid of that Pestilence card. It keeps destroying our monsters. If you can't do it, I can. I just need you to set me up."

"You got it, bro. I'll summon _my_ Elemental Hero Stratos (4/1800/300) and use his effect to bring another Hero to my hand." Another copy of the blue Hero, a slightly darker shade than the other, flew onto the field. "I'll also put a card facedown and attack War (+2600)." Stratos buzzed the field, but the rider of the red horse very suddenly grew in size, endured Stratos's bombing, and hurled a sword through the air, impaling Stratos. "What happened?" Bryan asked.

"It looks like War gains points when he's in battle," Matt suggested. "An effect we couldn't predict because of the circumstances of this duel."

Bryan huffed and said, "Sorry, bro. I couldn't set you up right."

Matt 25,100: Bryan 11,900 – 800 = 11,100: Apocalypse ?.

"Let's see if I can pull something, anyway," Matt said reassuringly. "Well, well. This deck has provided me with Neo-Spacian Dark Panther (3/1000/500)." With a fierce roar, a black panther leaped onto the field, trailing a red-lined black cape. The panther hissed and began to thin—almost appearing skeletal. "Once per turn, Dark Panther can mimic the abilities of an opposing monster: I've chosen Pestilence." Finally, Matt had the opportunity to read the full effect of the most dangerous Horseman. "It seems that if I pay LP by the thousand, I can destroy all opposing monsters with fewer attack points than my paid Life Points. I'll pay 2000 points to destroy both Pestilence and War!" Dark Panther roared—a hollow, screeching roar—and opened a deep fissure in the ground. Riders and their horses both stumbled into the fissure.

"An attack from Dark Panther will end my turn." The panther leaped across the field and pounced on an invisible enemy, but the Life Points fell, and that was all Matt needed.

Matt 25,100 – 2000 = 23,100: Bryan 11,100: Apocalypse ? – 1000 = ?.

Suddenly a fourth horse came riding from the illusionist distance. It was a jet-black horse with a demon riding its back. This was Death, Horseman of the Apocalypse (4/2100/0). Carrying by its side a scythe three sizes too big for its body to carry, it first attacked Bryan, and then swung a second time without backing off. With each stroke, he let out a bloodcurdling cry.

"Bryan!" Matt screamed, but he couldn't move any closer. The air was keeping him separate from Bryan, and if he fought it, he might leave Rory vulnerable.

Bryan lay still for almost a minute. Finally, he uttered, "I'm okay… using the loosest possible definition, of course." He used his Duel Disk as a crutch and climbed to his feet as he spat—no blood, but he felt like he was cut in two. "We can't quit now. We've got to keep going."

Matt 24,200; Bryan 11,100 – 2100 – 2100 = 6900: Apocalypse ?.

"Bro…" Matt uttered. "Your Life Points…"

Bryan shook his head and smiled. "I know I'm not as strong as you, Matt. Your duel energy and your sheer luck factor dwarf mine. You've got a type of support that other people will never be able to understand. That's why I gave in to Potter's promises of power. I wanted to be your equal again. But I realized that greed for power eventually conquers you. Power given by someone else can easily disappear. That's why I'm okay now, being just my own above-average self. Maybe I'll never be your equal, and maybe we'll all die here, but I'll be damned if I'm going down easy!"

Even though he bore no special source of spiritual energy, Bryan gave off a strong energy wave. It was still weak relative to the shadows around him, but it was growing. Matt felt the essence of darkness inhabiting Bryan during their last confrontation. This was different. Bryan's energy felt warm and strong—like a flickering fire.

"I'll summon Elemental Hero Burstinatrix (3/1200/800)," a woman wearing a scanty red leotard and spouting fire from her palms, "and I'll play Mask Change."

"Mask Change?"

Bryan grinned. "Just watch."

Burstinatrix extinguished her flames and lifted her hands to her face as if to remove a mask. Suddenly her whole body turned into a brilliant light, unrelenting until a new mask was placed. Now Bryan's monster had transformed from the flaming woman into a man decked out in red and black leather armor, with shoulder guards like exploding flames and a mask completely covering his face.

"Meet Masked Hero Goka (6/2200/1800)."

Matt's eyes lit up at the sight. "Dude! That's awesome! Where did you get a new Hero?"

"A gift for my performance in Santa Barbara. It is pretty sweet, and Goka gains an additional 100 points for every Hero in my Graveyard." Goka (+2900) exploded in flames and dashed across the field to strike Death (2100). With one fiery punch, Bryan's Hero broke the black horseman and allowed the flames to consume it completely.

"Your turn," he said with a smirk.

Matt 24,200: Bryan 6900: Apocalypse ? – 800 = ?.

That play renewed Matt's energy and gave him a second wind. "I'll play Cocoon Party. It lets me summon a Chrysalis monster for each Neo-Spacian in my Graveyard. I choose Chrysalis Pinny (2/100/700) and Chrysalis Chicky (2/600/400)," a child-like alien and a red chick, each wrapped in a chrysalis cocoon. "Maybe it's not much, but I'll attack with both of them, plus Dark Panther (1000). I'll set one card and end my turn."

Matt 24,200: Bryan 6900: Apocalypse ? – 600 – 1000 – 100 = ?.

The clouds began shifting wildly. The roar of wind sounded like a groaning voice: **"The Four Horsemen."**

The scythe-wielding Death (2100) reappeared riding its jet-black horse, and the stout Famine (800) horseman reappeared on its white horse. Famine immediately charged swirling shadow power in each palm.

"Not this time," Matt said. "I'll play Cocoon Veil." Chrysalis Pinny's cocoon burst into a protective wall, absorbing the impact of the swirling shadows. "By Tributing my Chrysalis monster, Effect Damage is negated for the turn, plus Pinny evolves into Neo-Spacian Glow Moss (3/300/900)," an alien figure with a shimmering body.

Death charged Glow Moss and swung its scythe. Matt couldn't be sure exactly how the Apocalypse handled the effect, but he did feel it when the scythe passed directly through the monster and sliced through his chest. It felt like his body was cut in half without severing any nerves, and then the sensation occurred a second time. The pain was so intense, his scream came out voicelessly.

Matt 24,200 – 2100 – 2100 = 20,000: Bryan 6900: Apocalypse ? – 20,000 = 0.

"Still with me, bro?" Bryan asked.

Matt's breathing was deep and labored, but he was eventually able to get back up. "I guess so. I'm starting to feel like we're already dying."

"Not us." Bryan grinned widely. His teeth were bright in the darkness. "We'll find a way to fight back. Here's an esteem booster for you: Card of Sanctity." Gold coins rained from the sky. "Now we all draw full hands. For me, that means I can play Polymerization to fuse Sparkman, Wildheart, and Lady Heat into another of my new cards: Vision Hero Trinity (8/+5000/2000)!" A giant dropped from the sky and pounded the ground in front of Bryan. The warrior wore bulky red armor, with a propulsion unit in his back, powered by an energy core in his chest. "For this turn, Trinity's power is doubled, and he'll get to attack both of your monsters." The powerful warrior released a burst of power from his armored boots to leap across the field, landing on top of Famine (800) and pounding it straight into the ground. He leaped again and crushed Death and its horse with a single fist.

Matt 20,000: Bryan 6900: Apocalypse ? – 4200 – 2900 = ?.

"We're not doing anything to it," Matt pointed out. "The Uncreated said something about a god. I don't suppose you've got a way to summon Uria."

"No. I've left Uria out of my deck since Thelema."

"Great."

Matt took a deep breath and lightly touched his fingers to the deck. He reached inward and sought counsel from his inner god. _If you have any power at all, please give me what I need. _Taking a leap of faith, he lifted his card.

"A fusion card?" he asked. "What am I supposed to…?" He took a moment to review the cards in his hand. "Oh, right! I'll play Miracle Contact! This lets me fuse Neos in my Graveyard with Flare Scarab and Grand Mole to summon Elemental Hero Magma Neos (9/3000/2500)!" Magma Neos erupted from the Graveyard like a volcano. His arms looked like he jammed his hands into lava and allowed it to harden. Magma Neos crashed back onto the field and created a massive crater. Small fires erupted all over the field as he absorbed power from every single card. "Step 1: Blast the field. Go, Magma Neos (+5400)!" His strong warrior built a ball of molten lava in his hands and hurled it into the darkness like a shot put. The explosion spread fire in all directions.

"Crap!" Matt exclaimed as he dropped to the ground and covered Rory from the flames. He wasn't expecting such a reaction from a card. Somehow this space amplified duel energy and turned it real.

"Nice hit," Bryan said. "You still good?"

Matt checked Rory's pulse again—identical to before. "For now." He got back to his feet and added, "I'm not done, though, if that's what you're asking.

"I'll play Super Polymerization. By discarding one card in my hand, I can fuse Magma Neos, Dark Panther, Glow Moss, Trinity, and Goka into Elemental Hero Divine Neos (12/2500/2500)!" Five lights combined in the sky and split the billowing clouds. A being of pure light descended slowly to the earth, and its light shone in all directions to illuminate the area. With white muscles accented by golden armor and angelic wings, Divine Neos shirked the darkness.

Bryan smiled. "I knew we'd find a way."

"Right you were. Divine Neos will strike a direct attack on the darkness!" With a divine presence, Neos exploded with intense light, blinding to the bros but scalding to the darkness. But as intense as the light was, when it faded, the darkness rolled back in, hardly fazed. "Well, that was disappointing, but I'll put one card down and end my turn."

Matt 20,000: Bryan 6900: Apocalypse ? – 5400 – 2500 = 46,300.

Bryan stared at his Duel Disk silently for a moment. He peeked over at Matt, who was staring at his Duel Disk the same way. "Are you seeing what I'm seeing?"

"A limit on the life force of the Apocalypse?"

"Sure. And he's got more points than the two of us combined. What caused it? Divine Neos?"

"Maybe the Uncreated," Matt suggested. He huffed. "Maybe some combination of the two. Either way, it looks like we _are_ putting a dent in it." He winced under the pain he still felt from earlier.

But the darkness was still going strong. The wind roared again, deafening the bros to all but the groan: "**Age of Apocalypse."** The black rider Death (2100) reappeared on the field again, and another red rider War (1600) was close behind it. Matt got nervous as War (+2600) bore down on Divine Neos (2500), but Death seemed to target Bryan. War grew in size to become Divine Neos's equal, and he hurled a sword across the field as easily as a baseball. Matt immediately panicked, worried that destroying Divine Neos would cause the Apocalypse to regain its boundless Life Points.

"You can't break our light," Matt protested. "I play Mirror Force to negate your attack and destroy your monsters." A reflective wall appeared in front of Divine Neos, defending him against the attack from the red rider. The wall shattered from the attack and shrapnel embedded in War and in Death…

But neither monster fell.

"They're not destroyed," Bryan noted. He braced himself for Death's attack as the enormous scythe bore down on him again. He cried out from a pain like no other. Even the previous strikes felt innocuous by comparison. His face hit the ground after the first strike and he thought he'd never feel pain like that again. When the scythe tore through his heart, the border between life and death became blurry. Bryan wasn't sure which side he fell.

Matt only saw Bryan fall. He was still breathing, but the pattern was erratic and he sounded like he was choking on his own breath. As the two Horsemen settled back onto their side of the field, Matt hurried to Bryan's side and checked him for wounds.

Matt 20,000: Bryan 6900 – 2100 – 2100 = 2700: Apocalypse 46,300.

Finally, Bryan let out a long, breathy sigh. "I don't know how much more I've got," he uttered.

"We're so close," Matt reminded him. "We've already dished out 40,000 points. We can do it again."

"He says after witnessing two Horsemen immune to destruction," Bryan said difficultly, but sarcastically. He was still having trouble even sitting up.

Matt put his hand to his chin. "Yeah, I'm not fond of that, either. Maybe it's just Trap Cards that can't destroy them anymore. We are in the Age of Apocalypse now."

"Oh, yeah," Bryan gasped as he finally got one leg under his chest. His weight shifted just enough for him to swing his other leg around so he could sit up. After the initial shock of such a grand movement, the pain actually lessened in that position. "If the monsters weren't bad enough, now the entity trying to end the world is using Spells."

"Let's beat him before we encounter Traps," Matt suggested. "Can you stand?"

"Probably not. But I can duel sitting down."

"I know you can. You're the only guy I've ever seen accept a Duel Disk challenge while he's on the crapper."

"Good times…" Bryan's voice trailed off.

Matt placed his hand on Bryan's shoulder again. "We'll have more good times. This is not a movie. The engaged guy is not going to die here: You're going home. Show him _how_ you're going to do it."

With another labored breath, Bryan said, "Okay. Here goes: A facedown card!" Matt made a face, and so Bryan replied, "I'm just getting warmed up. Monster Reborn to summon Bladedge (2600) back from the Graveyard." Bryan hacked heavily as his gold-plated warrior climbed back to the field. "Go get Death (2100)!" Bladedge dashed across the field and sliced straight through the fiendish rider and its black horse, but the cut resealed itself almost instantly, and Bladedge returned without having finished the job. "Just Traps, huh?"

"I said 'maybe,'" Matt shrugged. Unfortunately, Age of Apocalypse seemed to make the Horsemen immune to all destruction.

Matt 20,000: Bryan 2700: Apocalypse 46,300 – 500 = 45,800.

"That was an awesome effort," Bryan moaned, falling on his back to stare at the endless midnight in the sky. "You see how much damage I did just then? We'll have this duel won in _no_ time."

"You're starting to fade on me," Matt pointed out.

Bryan sighed. "I know. It just feels hopeless."

"Not like facing three Sacred Beasts, or Armityle."

"Well… Yeah, but…"

"You work through your funk quickly. I'm going to play Cocoon Party." The remaining three zones on his field began to spew cocoon silk. "For each Neo-Spacian in my Graveyard, I get to summon a Chrysalis monster, I'll take Chrysalis Mole (2/700/100) and Chrysalis Larva (2/300/300)." Both monsters were small, underdeveloped Neo-Spacians wrapped in metamorphic cocoons, just like the Chrysalis Chicky (400) already on the field. "That definitely thins my deck, but the important thing is the cards on the field. By removing Magma Neos from play, his ability goes straight to Divine Neos (+6900)." The brilliant light began to shine with fire as Divine Neos grew ever stronger.

"For good measure, I'll add Instant Neo Space for another 400 points. That won't let me destroy his monsters, but Death is sure going to feel this attack!" A focused blast of light into the shadows illuminated and nearly incinerated the black horse, but the darkness ensured Death was unharmed by the attack. "That ends my turn."

Matt 20,000: Bryan 2700: Apocalypse 45,800 – 5200 = 41,600.

_Now we see what else lurks in the darkness…_

Within seconds, two more Horsemen appeared on the field: the skeletal form of Pestilence and the hooded form of Famine. But then the roaring winds croaked the words **"Rise of the Apocalypse"** and all four Horsemen turned into shadows themselves. The darkness collected in the center of the field and billowed upward, cloud piling on top of cloud ad infinitum until they finally took a humanoid form. The Apocalypse (12/5000/5000) itself was indistinguishable behind the veil of darkness, but its eyes shone brightly through like headlights.

"This is it," Bryan uttered. "That's what attacked us before your spirit started fighting back. That means it's stronger than you are."

Bryan was giving up, and Matt couldn't blame him. Apocalypse (+7600) reached out to Bryan's monster and gripped it completely with a single fist. The creature was simply too big to fight.

"If he's stronger than you," Bryan continued, "then I'll have to do it myself. I'll activate Edge Hammer." Bladedge suddenly drew a massive warhammer into his hands and swung it around fiercely, dissipating the fingers that bound him. He followed through by diving at full speed into the fray and swinging the warhammer as easily as a baton. "By Tributing Bladedge, I get to destroy any opposing monster." The shadows faded—headlights and all—with the swinging of Bladedge and his hammer. Worn out, the Hero fell into the Graveyard.

Almost immediately, the clouds of darkness began swarming again, and the Apocalypse (5000) built up once again, towering over the field.

Matt 20,000: Bryan 2700: Apocalypse 41,600 – 5000 = 36,600.

"Maybe my last chance here for a good play," Bryan said. "I'll play Fifth Hope. By sending five of my Heroes back to the deck, I can draw two cards." He looked through his cards for an extra moment because of his seated position. "First, I'll use Fusion Recovery to return Polymerization and Bubbleman to my hand. Now since we're not sure what kinds of Spells or Traps are being played, I'll summon Bubbleman to the field and play Mask Change again: This act lets Bubbleman removed his mask and exchange it to become Masked Hero Acid (8/2600/2100)." Bubbleman lifted his mask and his face began to shine as he put on another mask. His armor, still blue, now looked sleeker with a pointed mask and a gun holster by his side. "When Acid is summoned, all the opponent's Spell and Traps are destroyed." The masked Hero drew his gun rapidly and took three acidic shots.

"I can't tell if anything changed," Matt said. The clouds continued to billow around them relentlessly.

"I see a change," Bryan replied, staring at the Apocalypse (-4700). Acid's third shot hit the cloudy monstrosity and weakened the intense roaring of the wind.

But suddenly the ground opened up and a cavalry erupted in an array of shadows: white, red, pale, and black. Pestilence (300), Famine (800), War (1600) and Death (2100) all armed themselves for battle.

"**Come the Apocalypse,"** groaned the roaring winds. Like a falling curtain, the clouds fell directly on top of both Bryan and Matt, pounding them both into the ground and smothering them in ash. Their cries were completely drowned out by the laughter riding on the winds.

* * *

"_Papa Luther? Some of the other kids said you're not my real dad."_

_With a hefty, garbled laugh, the lush replied, "That's for damn sure. My real kid would never be such a crybaby, and he'd know how to take a punch." Matt remembered getting punched yesterday. He deserved it, though. He was the one too stupid to refill the water pitcher after emptying it._

"_Who are my real parents?"_

"_What difference does it make? They didn't want you, anyway. You're some kind of freak kid. I still don't know why you don't have a bruise on your chest. Your parents were probably freaks, too."_

_Quietly, Matt asked, "Can I meet them?"_

"_They're dead, kid. Get over it. You're stuck with me. Now get out there and finish cleaning out the gutters."_

"_It's raining."_

"_So you'd better be quick. If the water backs up into the window well, you'll regret it."_

* * *

"Matt! Are you okay?"

Opening his eyes felt like waging war on gravity. Getting them open didn't serve much purpose either, given the endless cycle of clouds rolling in and out above him. He felt hit by a truck with a sharp tailpipe. His entire left side felt sliced clean; he wasn't bleeding but he felt the extreme itch and sting of limbs being severed.

"Am I dead yet?"

"You wish. You've still got to get us out of this mess. All those Horsemen and the Apocalypse itself just attacked you directly. Not really sure how or why, but it seems to have done a number on you."

"That explains the pain." Talking helped the pain subside, but Matt still felt wiped out. Sitting up was the most difficult thing he ever had to do. "At least you're safe."

"Yeah. They targeted you. My best bet is they were trying to get to that spirit of yours. The darkness seems thicker since the attack."

"I guess that means we'd better stop fooling around. Is it my turn?"

Bryan answered, "Not yet. I just wouldn't continue my turn until you awoke. Take a break for a moment and figure out a winning play. In the meantime, I'm going to knock the pins down for you to set you up."

That sounded like a tall order, but Bryan sounded certain. "First, Call of the Haunted brings Elemental Hero Stratos (1800) back to the field, and his effect brings Necroshade to my hand." His blue bomber flew out of the Graveyard and hovered back to the field. "Now Polymerization fuses those two into Elemental Hero Great Tornado (8/2800/2200)." A vortex of fusion energy merged Bryan's monsters until the result had green skin, white armor, and a black cape covering most of its body… until the wind began to blow. Beginning as a zephyr and growing into a mighty cyclone, wind whipped around the field so fiercely the darkness turned into a tornado with Bryan and Matt unharmed in the eye.

The monsters on the opponent's field all shrank down as the winds chipped away at the shadows. "Great Tornado's effect cuts all those monsters in half, and for good measure, I'll add Miracle Fusion to combine me and Bladedge into Elemental Hero Wildedge (8/2600/2300)!"

"You?" Matt repeated curiously. He turned his neck to get a look at Bryan. He had almost forgotten he and Bryan were wearing Duel Monsters costumes: Bryan was dressed like Wildheart. "Oh, right."

Bryan's monsters fused into a man of enormous size and musculature, barely clad save for golden greaves on his right leg, a golden gauntlet on his left arm, and a cowl helmet. He carried on his back a sword big enough to cleave a school in a single strike. "Here's the kicker: Wildedge can attack every monster on the opponent's field." Wildedge lifted the sword in his bare hand and primed his gauntlet, and then he charged into the fray. Swinging and slashing as if dancing through the darkness, Wildedge sliced Famine (-400) in half, pummeled War (+1800), temporarily wounded Pestilence (-150), and punched holes in Death (-1050).

But when the massive sword came down on the formless Apocalypse (+5100), Wildedge lost his grip as his sword was pulled into the shadows completely. Apocalypse clapped both hands slowly around Wildedge's body, colliding into a deluge of shadows that poured over the field with no trace of the strong Hero left behind. Bryan cried out as the shadows smothered him and threatened to cut off his oxygen.

"Bryan!" Matt shouted, but his sworn brother wouldn't respond. He was wounded, almost permanently. Somehow, the Apocalypse gained Wildedge's attack power during that battle—an effect, no doubt. "I hate to leave you there, but you rest for a minute. The best thing I can do for you is end this fight."

Matt 20,000 – 300 – 800 – 1600 – 2100 – 5000 = 10,200: Bryan 2700 – 2500 = 200: Apocalypse 36,600 – 2450 – 2200 – 800 – 1550 = 29,600.

With a deep breath, Matt silently prayed as fervently as he could to the Uncreated. He just needed one magical card strong enough to eliminate the Apocalypse and prevent the End of Days.

"Neos? Figures, I guess. What else could be the trump card of a Neos deck?" He spent almost a full minute considering all the possible moves he could make, the roar of the winds growing stronger with each passing second, threatening to overtake him if he didn't make a move. Finally, he settled on a strategy.

"I'll activate Neo Space." The air remained completely dark, unable to display the effect of the card, but its effect still lingered as it powered up Divine Neos (+3500). "Within the Neo Space, I can Tribute my Chrysalis Chicky to summon Neo-Spacian Air Hummingbird (3/800/600)." An anthropomorphic hummingbird appeared with red feathers thick like armor and white wings angelic in appearance. "I'll summon Elemental Hero Neos (7/+3000/2100) by offering Mole and Larva as Tributes." Two of his cocooned monsters disappeared as the powerful Hero in white took their place on the field. His presence was reassuring—familiarity in the face of devastation.

"Here goes: First, Neos and Air Neos fuse into Elemental Hero Air Neos (7/+3000/2000)." Upon contact with the Hummingbird, Neos's armor turned sleek red and sprouted steel wings from the shoulders. Air Neos spread his wings wide while he focused power into his body. "When my Life Points are lower than yours, my warrior gains power equal to the difference, giving Air Neos (+22,400) one hell of a power boost. But that's not all.

"By removing Neo-Spacian Dark Panther from play, Divine Neos (+4000) gains another 500 points and Dark Panther's ability. By selecting Pestilence on your side of the field, Divine Neos gains the effect of that skeletal horseman. If I remember correctly, that means I can pay 5000 Life Points to destroy all your monsters with 5000 points or fewer original attack points." Divine Neos charged his power and then stamped his foot on the ground, opening a grand fissure wide enough to pull Pestilence and Apocalypse beneath the field and trap them in the underworld. Matt knew Apocalypse wouldn't stay gone, though. It was temporary…

…or would be if not for Neos.

"This ends the duel," Matt declared. Air Neos (+27,400) flew high into the sky and whipped up a whirlwind with his wings. Flapping slowly at first and gradually beating his wings until they were invisible, the shadows receded tremendously as the whirlwind grew in speed and intensity, finally exploding in a concussive force. Divine Neos (4000) focused increasing light into his body—so much Matt thought he could see the sky again. Light exploded from Divine Neos and consumed every shadow in sight.

The intensity of the light overwhelmed Matt, and the boundary between the stage and the world dissipated, spreading light to all onlookers who wondered about the swirling shadows in the middle of campus. The light seemed to spread all the way to the sky, and when Divine Neos faded from view, the sun bore down on campus once more, returning its light and warmth to the people.

Matt 10,200 – 5000 = 5200: Bryan 200: Apocalypse 29,100 – 27,400 – 4000 = 0.

* * *

"There it is," a female voice said. "Looks like he's coming around."

Matt's eyes fluttered a bit, but he found they weighed very little this time. His head was ringing off the hook and his back felt like lead, but overall he felt surprisingly alive. "Mmmarry?" That didn't out right.

"No, I won't marry you," Cary said as she patted Matt on the shoulder. She might have shot him for how much it hurt. "But I am glad you're alive. I got… _slightly…_ concerned when you jumped into that tornado. You were gone a long time."

"What happened?" he asked, better able to open his mouth this time.

"Well, we're all still here, so either you beat the Apocalypse, or we're all terrible sinners forced to live on this wicked planet until we die." She leaned in next to his ear and whispered, "For the record, I'm okay with it either way." She patted him closer to the heart and added, "Thank you."

Matt rubbed his head. "I'm confused. That hardly sounded like an insult."

She shrugged and stood away from him. "Yeah, well. A brush with death can give anyone an off day." She held out a hand and offered him help getting up, but he almost pulled her over, and so his roommate Maikeru offered a second hand with considerably more weight behind it. Pained as he looked during the procedure, Matt eventually got to his feet, continuing to use both friends as crutches.

"Does this train go by the health center?" Matt asked.

"There are EMTs on site," Maikeru told him. He summarized their first examination of Matt, saying his vital signs were okay and he was breathing normally, so they left him momentarily to deal with more severe injuries. "Thank god, too. Bryan's way too damn heavy to carry."

"Is he okay? What about Rory?"

"They're in bad shape," Cary confessed, "but they should be fine. Dr. Nagell said they're stable, but they're on their way to the Kazuki hospital and they won't be leaving for a few days at least. But they'll survive a little hospital food considering you just saved their lives from Armageddon."

Maikeru chuckled nervously. "Do you think saving the world warrants you an automatic A in your classes?"

"I'll settle for tuition remission," Matt replied. He felt incredibly hot, and that's when he remembered he was wearing leather armor. "And thanks to me, I better never hear anyone say the Celtic Guardian is anything less than a guardian of the entire world."

"It wasn't the Celtic Guardian," Cary argued. "It was you _dressed_ as the Celtic Guardian."

"Yeah, but it was…" Suddenly he swooned and would have hit the ground hard if not for Cary and Maikeru holding him up. EMS returned to check him out a second time. Who can be sure how much of it Matt was aware of before he passed out?

* * *

When Matt opened his eyes, he was surrounded by a white light. There was nothing as far as he could see—not even a floor—except white. Slowly, his eyes adjusted to the white surroundings and he noticed the feathers of a giant bird, blending almost perfectly with the white backdrop, save minor shadows. Actually, it was more like the being appeared out of nowhere. Atop the bird was the face of an elderly man with eyes bluer than the clear sky.

"You're still here," Matt said, surprised.

"_With your help."_

Matt shook his head. "No. I owe _you_. Thank you for stopping the Apocalypse."

The man blinked slowly. _"My part was minimal. You and your brother are the ones who defeated the spirit. I have rarely seen such strength of spirit in humans, yet you seem to draw to you the strongest of all humans."_

"We'll fight fiercely to protect our world."

"_More than I ever predicted."_ He blinked heavily again and his breathing sped up.

"Will you tell me where you came from?"

_"My honor is to share this life with you, in time. Soon, perhaps? I beg your forgiveness, but this confrontation and expenditure of my strength has left me in need of a nap."_

"You and me both."

* * *

News reports continued to provide footage of the sudden and unexpected solar eclipse—one astronomers deemed a "perfect eclipse"—that baffled scientists. Media personnel went wild with speculation as to the cause, purpose, and explanation of what was almost universally considered to be an omen of ill will to come.

Ren Bacon was not bothered by it at all. A thin man just shorter than six feet tall, with tousled hair and a hard chin, he was rarely scary, opting instead to give in to his childish desires. After all, a man with his kind of power could afford to let loose. With a giddy laugh, he spun around in his office chair and jerked to a stop, checking yet another report to see the pandemonium that resulted.

"Oo hoo! You were right! That really was a sign of the End of Days, wasn't it?"

"Yes."

With an excited giggle, Ren said, "Oooo! You've exceeded all my expectations, Oscar! Money just can't buy your level of service!"

Oscar stood behind the excited, younger man. He wore a charcoal suit with no tie, and dark sunglasses altered his appearance enough that he wouldn't be recognizable without close contact. He remained expressionless at the level of joy his cohort showed when the entire world could have been incinerated in the Rapture only moments ago, though he had hardly been able to contain a smile when he learned Matt survived his encounter with absolute darkness.

Ren lifted a dueling card and his giggling became more intense. The face of the blue card began to shimmer, and wisps of darkness dripped off of it. "Now that the embodiment of the Shadow Realm has been released, the darkness will grow one hundredfold. Of course, someone needed to rein in the Shadow Realm before it killed us all, but you made sure there was someone present for that, too, didn't you, Oscar?"

"Yes."

"And your plan was perfect." He made an exaggerated frown at the TV reports. "Unfortunately, that much darkness can't just up and disappear, can it? No! It will spread throughout the world and strengthen anything powered by the Shadow Realm. That means all of our precious god cards will regain their full power, and my empire will thrive with Obelisk the Tormentor leading the way."

He showed Obelisk to Oscar and said, "All we have to do is collect them all. Do you think Operation Pokémon is too on-the-nose?"

"Your cohorts may find the name a bit childish," Oscar suggested.

The man's expression hardened. His giddy grin turned instantly into a fierce snarl. "They are welcome to voice their concerns through the proper channels."

"With no intended criticism," Oscar said, unfazed by the change in demeanor, "please allow me to voice my concern once more with moving up the plan so soon. We still have not located all the god cards, and there is a possibility of a greater darkness emerging in a place we never expected."

Now the grin returned, wide and wicked. "I do hope so. All the more power behind my army. Hellfire is about to rain down on this world, Oscar. You'd better put on a hat."

* * *

**_Author's notes:_**  
_And another cycle comes to a close. This arc was much stronger than the last, but I hope to dwarf it with the next one. It will focus more on characters and story and have fewer duels written only to fill space. A new villain, development in the spiritual god, and a worldwide search for all twelve god cards are things to look forward to. Look for it soon: **In Search of a God**._

_I thank all of you who read all the way through this part of the story, and extra thanks (and a spiritual medal) go to the people who have read the other three arcs, too. Two more arcs to go before I finish this story I dreamed up more than seven years ago. It wouldn't have been as much fun without all of you here with me. I hope all of you will follow me to the end as it's sure to be an exciting view of the human condition using the connection to a god as the plot device._

_**Trivia:** One of my first dueling daydreams ever was using the Celtic Guardian to take down a Black Skull Dragon. I love the Celtic Guardian._


End file.
